Terri Stegmiller

"Shades of Red" by Terri Stegmiller
http://terristegmiller.com

I am a mixed-media textile artist.  My main focus is art quilting and I usually create with a representational style, although I sometimes will play with abstract styles as well.

Although I didn't always enjoy all steps of quilting, I now find I enjoy each step of the process--the first sketches, the fabric choices, the textural stitching, and the glorious color.  I will even look forward to sitting down and hand stitching on a binding.

I have no formal art degree.  All of my experience comes from my own experimentation, practice, and a few online classes.  Some of my favorite subjects in my art are female faces, flowers, birds, and cats.

I live in Mandan, North Dakota, and am married to a wonderful and supporting husband, have one grown son, and am "mom" to several cats.  My other interests include painting, reading, bird watching, and flower gardening.

I am author of the book Creative Paper Quilts: Applique, Embellishment, Patchwork, Piecework; co-author of Creative Ways with Fibre & Stitch, and co-Author of Creative Ways with Books and Journals.  I teach online through Three Creative Studios.

Artist's Statement:  Time honored traditional quilting processes have crashed head on with new and innovative mixed-media techniques.  Art quilting is in full swing and I’m embracing it whole-heartedly.  I am enraptured with each step of the process--the first sketches, the fabric choices, the textural stitching, and the glorious color.

The visual texture of commercially printed fabrics along with the additional quilted texture is a springboard for my work.   I have a love affair with color and enjoy using many fabrics to portray a single color thought.  

Location:  Mandan, North Dakota, USA
Online stores: Etsy, Three Creative Studios 
Blog: StegArt

Memberships:

   SAQA - Studio Art Quilt Associates
   SDA - Surface Design Association
   Bismarck Art and Gallery Association

Social Media:  Twitter, Facebook

Language spoken: English

"Waiting" by Terri Stegmiller

Books by Terri:

Tags:  fabric, quilt, art, texture, stitch, mixed media, color, design, art quilts, textile art

Laura Quilligan - Improv Cloth

www.improvcloth.com

I'm a surface designer hand painting silk and velvet garments and scarves. I have been working in this wonderful medium for 10 years and sell my work in galleries and stores. I also do craft fairs, primarily in my town, Taos, New Mexico. I offer my work as a contribution to enhance the well being of each woman who wears an Improv Cloth scarf or garment.  The pieces work well for women who enjoy bold color and seek a timeless, ageless and sizeless look.

I enjoy connecting to other fiber artists, galleries or stores interested in carrying art to wear.  My work is available at Handwoven Originals, Santa Fe, NM; Ammann Gallery, Taos, NM; Artemisia Art to Wear, Taos, NM; Pursuits, Pennsylvania PA.

Artist's Statement:  The artist's job is to help people develop an awareness of our connected reality.  I create wearable art as a contribution to our connection to one another.  When we examine how cloth is made, we see a connection "unfolding"...  Plant or silkworm is connected to weaver and mill. Weaver and mill is connected to seamstress.  Seamstress, weaver and mill are connected to marketplace, and so forth; until cloth finds it's home with someone...  Using juxtapositions of color, line, texture and shape; the artist reveals an alternative viewpoint..  Like an open window letting in fresh air, we breathe in our connection to the beauty in the world. While realizing beauty, people transform their attitude in a positive way.  Thinking positively, each person then contributes to a collective civilized mindstream.  In this way, art is an urgent necessity.

Location:  Taos, New Mexico, USA

Blog:  Improv Cloth
Memberships:  Slow Cloth
Languages spoken: English

  

Hand Painted Top by Laura Quilligan

Improv Cloth Art to Wear on Facebook

Tags:  Hand painted, related editions, hand dyed, accessories, art to wear, clothing

Deborah Grayson Studios

"Bird Woman" by Deborah Grayson

www.graysonstudios.com

Grayson Studios is the dreamworld created by Deborah R. Grayson.  An artist, author and scholar, Grayson has made art in one form or another for as long as she can remember.  Deborah became involved in making one-of-a-kind  art quilts and dolls in 1993 when her work evolved from simply painting on canvas to dyeing, painting, and printing on all types of fabric and paper.  In her work, Deborah hand paints, dyes and prints both fabric yardage and paper.  She uses Procion fiber-reactive dyes, acrylic paints and ink to produce exquisite handmade dolls, prints and painted and quilted images.

Deborah has taught quilt-making and doll-making for numerous organizations and community centers throughout the southeastern United States.  She regularly participates in both juried and invitational shows.

Artist's Statement:  I have long been interested in how individuals create, use and process visual images.  A central focus of my work is about the spiritual and metaphysical links between human beings and their surroundings.  What causes me to develop a particular image is never on thing but a confluence of activities and events.  The images in my quilts and prints have evolved from a life time of looking, listening, touching and daydreaming.  Because I am inspired by the natural beauty of the human figure, a great deal of my work features people.  I also enjoy the design aesthetics of geometric patterning and shapes. I attempt to portray the the complexities of all of these elements and their influences by layering the historical, political and cultural experiences of everyday life in my work.  My hope is that when you look at my work that you learn and feel something about life, love and spirit.


Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Online store: Grayson Studios
Blog: Grayson Studios
Memberships:
   Studio Art Quilt Associates
   Professional Art Quilt Alliance -- South
   Women's Caucus for Art/Women's Caucus for Art Georgia
Languages spoken: English and limited Spanish

 "There is Hope" by Deborah Grayson

Tags: Studio Art Quilts, Design, hand dyed textiles, printmaking, textile painting, handcrafted, art dolls, dollmaking, surface design, color, abstract, figurative art

Kantara Crafts

www.kantaracrafts.com

Kantara Crafts is a fair trade business specializing in Moroccan rugs and textiles imported directly from women's weaving cooperatives. I began the business in 2008 after working in Morocco for a year and a half on a project that fought against child labor. While living in Morocco, I met several artisans and immediately fell in love with the carpets, which is the only craft performed solely by women. At the same time, I was shocked at how the artisan's lack of mobility and access to the business world kept them subjugated to urban middlemen's pricing whims. I noticed that at the prices offered by these intermediaries the women barely had enough money to pay for their materials, let alone for their time and creativity. At that point, I decided to start Kantara Crafts as a means to directly support the artisans while reinvesting  a portion of the proceeds into education and business development initiatives within these very cooperatives. And the rest is history.

While there is no Kantara storefront, I do private consultations, trunk shows, presentations, and rug parties for those interested in seeing the rugs in person.

-Alia Kate

Mission:  Kantara Crafts is the premiere source for fair trade, handwoven Moroccan carpets in the United States. Kantara Crafts hand selects each carpet from women's weaving cooperatives in Morocco. As a result of its relationship with the artisans, Kantara ensure that its products are of the highest quality and with the most captivating designs.

Meaning “bridge” in Arabic, Kantara seeks to establish local and long-lasting relationships by bridging the gap between women artisans in Morocco and socially-conscious communities in the United States.

Location: New York City, New York, USA

Online store: Kantara Crafts

Blog: Kantara Crafts

Memberships:

   Fair Trade Federation, 

   Moroccan Rug Society,
   Weave a Real Peace,
   New York Guild of Handweavers,
   Textile Art Alliance
Social Media: Facebook Group  (Moroccan Rug Society),
   Youtube, Picasa 
Languages spoken: English, Spanish, French, Arabic

 Moroccan Weaver, Kantara Crafts

Kantara Crafts: Moroccan Rugs on Facebook

Tags: morocco, rugs, fair trade, high end carpets, handwoven, kilims, social responsibility