Heather Lair

www.heatherlairdesigns.com

I have been making quilts for 35 years. Traditional quilts are warm to use and satisfying to make and are the beginning and soul of my art. Throughout these years the availability of new tools, materials and techniques used to make quilts has flourished. As quilt makers we are now able to dye fabric to suit our needs, embellish with threads, beads, rocks and stones. Many of us design original patterns for quilts and create techniques that continually send the quilting police in a tail spin! It is a very exciting time to be a quilter- the art world and the quilt world have merged together and the result has been amazing. I now gather as many supplies from the art supply stores as the fabric stores.

Inspiration for my work comes from many sources. I love to study artists' work and see how they have used colors, space and forms, and then incorporate these ideas into my art quilts. I made a series of quilts from the work of Gustaf Klimt (many a quilter's favorite!), the Group of Seven and  Piet Mondriaan. My own Canadian landscape is represented in my landscape quilts. I love making these quilts where the border surrounding the landscape is a wonderful palate I can use to complete the mood of the landscape. My walks on the beach are now important 'research' excursions.

Cotton will always be my preferred fabric for bed quilts, but art quilts that hang on the wall can be made of all fabrics- linen, silk, wool, rayon, unknown... Purses made of recycled wool suit coats and silk blouses keep these unwanted items out of our landfills and are really fun to design and make. Fabric is everywhere!

My lifelong study of traditional quilts and needlework from around the globe and throughout history has given me the opportunity to accept some very exciting commissions. I have made reproduction textiles for national museums, quilts for the movie industry, and architectural quilts for private collections all over the world. Life is good when quilts are involved.  My work is shown at these galleries:  "Fog Forest Gallery"- in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada  and "Mermaids Kiss Gallery" - in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
   

Mission:  Promoting quilting as an Olympic sport!

Location: Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
Online Stores: Uniquely Manitoba, Etsy
Memberships:  Canadian Quilters Association, Manitoba Prairie Quilters, American Quilters Society
Languages Spoken:  English

"Far and Away" by Heather Lair

Tags:  Hand quilting, appliqué, fabric landscapes, fabric postcards, quilt design, traditional textiles, slow cloth, dyed fabric, art quilts.