WHERE COLOR, TEXTURE AND NATURAL FIBERS COME TOGETHER IN WOVEN GARMENTS.

My Background: I am from a family of creative seamstresses and I watched my mom and my grandmothers sew and quilt as I was growing up. I learned to sew at age ten and have been sewing since that time. I’ve made clothes, curtains, costumes and covers for anything that needed it. And many times that has been a rewarding, creative outlet for me.

As I neared retirement, I wanted to do more with textiles and I decided to pursue weaving. With weaving my own fabric, I could combine my sewing skills with material of my own design. I attended the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina to learn the basics of weaving on a floor loom. Subsequently, I attended classes in Michigan and Wisconsin and joined a weaver’s guild in Wisconsin. Most recently, I am working on dyeing my yarn to achieve the colors and variation I want. This, I believe, makes my garments truly unique.

I weave using natural fibers, mainly alpaca, mohair and wool from Merino, Corriedale and Romney sheep. For lighter garments, I weave with rayon and cotton. I have been fortunate to find many yarns from Wisconsin and other parts of the Midwest and also from individuals who hand dye natural fibers. Needless to say, I have shelf after shelf of yarn just waiting to go on some loom!
Combining sewing and weaving has allowed me to be creative in a new way. Once I have my loom warped, it is a great pleasure to see the colors and patterns take shape as I throw the shuttle, realizing that I’m very fortunate to be able to do something that is so much fun!