Little Mango Imports

www.littlemangoimports.com

Little Mango Imports offers textiles and handicrafts from all over the world, including Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, and Indonesia. Our primary focus is the beautiful and colorful hand woven fabric and Maya dress of Guatemala. We offer a large selection of colors and designs to choose from.

Little Mango Imports is an internet based business operated by myself, Whitney Taylor. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in International Affairs and Economics. I am often asked how I became involved in the import business. I have worked for my parents (www.HappyMangoBeads.com) for several years. They have been in the import/export business since I can remember. This has allowed me to travel throughout the world to such places as Morocco, Indonesia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and extensively throughout Latin America. Through this experience I have learned how to interact with and conduct business with people of other cultures, something I truly enjoy. I am also a high school ski racing coach and active in the Martial Arts and CrossFit communities.

-Whitney Taylor

Location: Lyons, Colorado, USA
Online store: Little Mango Imports

Blog: Little Mango Imports
Twitter

Languages spoken: English, Spanish
Contact

Handwoven Guatemalan fabric from Little Mango Imports

Little Mango Imports on Facebook

Tags: Guatemalan Fabric, Huipil, Corte, Batik, Jaspe Fabric, Ikat Fabric, Maya Fabric

Chandra Stubbs

www.chandrastubbs.com

I have been a professional artist since 1997.  I travel all over the United States showing my work at juried exhibitions, fine artand fine craft shows.

My formal training is mostly in ceramic arts, but my love of textile and the process of needle felting has brought about my new body of work "porcelain + felt".  I was introduced to the world of fiber by my sister Heather.  She is a veterinarian and very successful Shetland sheep breeder. Windswept Farms is the ideal place to fall in love with the process of sheering, dying, spinning, weaving, and felting, and I did!

Working with the wool has been a rejuvenating experience for me in the studio. I work very spontaneously, creating each piece specifically for each porcelain ring or grouping. I create the felt from Merino rovings, cut designs, and build my fabric as I needle felt layers of color and texture.  I enjoy the contrast of working with the dry wool and am still in awe of the process.

All of my porcelain is hand made. Large rings are thrown on the wheel. Smaller rings are extruded and hand sliced and finished. I use a clear Celadon glaze and fire the clay to cone 9.  I like the way the porcelain frames my felt.  There is a real familiarity in the combination of the two mediums that I can not explain. 

The whole body of work is still young. I am still exploring and learning.  I expect great growth and look forward to things that come!

You can find my work at Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, Mi. and the Jill Underhill Gallery, Harbert, Mi.

Visit with me in person and see my work at various art and craft shows across the country. My web site has my current show calendar.

Location: Sawyer, Michigan, USA

Memberships/Links: The Craft Council, Wind Swept Farms
Languages spoken: English, some Spanish

 

"Acorns" by Chandra Stubbs

Chandra Stubbs on Facebook

Tags:  felt wall art, ceramic wall art, felt bowl, decorative felt, ceramic + felt, porcelain + felt, felt and ceramic, felt and porcelain

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.

Betty Busby

"Push", 37 x 44", 2009 by Betty Busby
www.bbusbyarts.com

I've made my living as an artist my entire life.

After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a major in ceramics, I founded a custom tile manufacturing business in Los Angeles.

I ran it for 18 years, and sold it to move to New Mexico in 1994.
Since my move to the high desert, I have gotten more involved in fiber art, and exhibit in shows nationally and internationally.

I work with children in general art lessons on a regular basis, and also conduct workshops with adults.

Artist's Statement: Spending nearly 20 years in the manufacturing business taught me to be inventive with the use of materials and processes.  This is something that I continue to explore in my fiber work, combining many different woven and non woven materials to produce my visions.
I have many sources of inspiration as well, from the colorful, rocky landscape in which I now live, to the fantastic and amazing world of scientific imagery.  I am represented by Gallery 101 in Collinsville, Connecticut, USA.

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Online Store: Etsy
Memberships/Links: Studio Art Quilt Associates, New Mexico Art League, Visions Gallery
Social Media: Betty Busby on Facebook and Flickr
Languages Spoken: Americuun

 

"Monstera", 70x53", 2009 by Betty Busby

Tags:  fiber art, art quilt, quiltart, contemporary, RISD, science, nature, southwest