I operate my own freelance graphic design business, Hartline Designs, out of my home studio in beautiful Lodi, WI (having traded in my lab coat as a medical technologist, for the creative world of graphic design). While furthering my education in the graphic design field, (and raising half a dozen children), I realized my passion for the textile side of the business and began putting my designs into functional and wearable art.  Although I work with many types of fabrics, I love using cotton voile, cotton, fleece and poly satin (all printed in the USA!). When I’m not designing textiles, or playing with fabric in some manner, you’ll find me happily engrossed in creating graphic design.  I take much of my inspiration from my travels, nature, and just my inborn sense of grabbing all I can out of life, standing on my head while I do it, and never missing a moment to laugh!

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!