Sara Lechner

www.thefabricofmeditation.blogspot.com

I began working with textiles more than 20 years ago when I discovered that this was my way of connecting with the world and contribute bringing more fantasy, inspiration and a smile to it. I live in a world of little people and awesome worlds, all born in my imagination.  My art was shaped by a life full of experiences in two continents, Europe and South America (where I'm living now once more). My childhood was populated with an imagery of strange creatures born from the art of the Jesuit Missions of Argentina.

Artist's statement:  I'd like to inspire people through the spell of  medieval and folk motives, angels and birds. They live with me even when I do more minimalistic contemporary art...

Location:  Buenos Aires, Argentina

Online shop:  SaraLechnerArt

Blog:  thefabricofmeditation

Social Media:  LinkedIn, facebook

Languages spoken:  English, German, French, Spanish

The Magical Textiles of Sara Lechner

Tags:  embroidery, felting, quilting, contemporary, fairies, tyvek, fantasy, flowers, embellisher, faces

Stitching Life

http://stitchinglife.com

I am a textile artist working full-time from home in the UK. I work entirely by hand, making art quilts and small stitched cloths from mainly recycled materials such as old linens and clothing. I dye most of my fabrics and threads myself and occasionally sell hand-dyed materials.

Artist's statement:  Although my formal art training is in paint, I prefer the tactile quality of textiles as a medium of expression. Cloth is with us throughout our lives, a constant presence that touches us, both literally and figuratively. Our very first experience following our birth is that of being wrapped in a cloth; as preparation for the grave, we are wrapped in a shroud.

I choose to work by hand because I love the feel of the needle and thread through cloth, and I like to feel the way the cloth is responding to stitch. I think of the process of stitching as a quiet conversation between myself, the needle and thread and the cloth itself. The act of piecing scraps of cloth together is a metaphor for the way our lives are composed of brief moments joined together. I also think of the many women before me who have sat quietly and stitched, either for duty or for pleasure. I prefer in general to work with natural materials - linen, cotton, silk, wool - and I remain mindful that these were once part of living organisms. I try to remain respectful to the cloth, to the process and to tradition.

-Karen Turner

Location:  East Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Blog:  Stitching Life
Online shop:  stitchinglife

Languages spoken:  English

"Midnight", Art Quilt by Stitching Life

Tags:  patchwork, applique, embroidery, quilting, cloth, thread, stitch, (by) hand, abstract

Salley Mavor

www.weefolkstudio.com

I am a fiber artist and children's book illustrator. My fabric relief sculptures are photographed and reproduced in picture books. The books are not just for children--they're also used as art and reference books for all ages. I've also written the instruction book for adults, Felt Wee Folk: Enchanting Projects.

Salley Mavor

Artist's statement:  I have had a life-long fascination with little things and needlework. Toward the end of art school, I rediscovered my childhood delight in sewing and creating miniature scenes. Leaving traditional illustration mediums behind, but still interested in narrative work, I taught myself stitching and fiber art techniques, which I used in my class assignments. For me, manipulating materials with my hands with a needle and thread was so much more satisfying than rendering with a pencil or brush. I found that I could communicate my ideas more clearly this way and that my hands would direct me in a compelling way.

My early pieces were soft sculpture, and then turned flatter, with raised figures and objects on a fabric background. I came up with the term “fabric relief” in 1982 to better describe my evolving method. My 3-dimensional pictures resemble miniature, shallow stage sets, with scenery, props and characters telling a story. I embroider, wrap, appliqué and paint different materials and found objects to create scenes in relief, with figures imposed on an embellished fabric background. My work is decorative and detailed, full of patterns from nature, all stitched by hand.

For the past 20 years, I’ve been working in the field of illustration, making artwork which is then photographed and printed in children’s books. The original fabric relief pictures have a second life when they are mounted and framed under glass in shadow boxes, ready to show and sell as individual pieces. Through my books, I hope to inspire children as well as adults to see art in fresh and unexpected ways.

Location:  Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA

Online shops:  Amazon, Wee Folk Enchanting Projects

Blog:  weefolk

Memberships:  SAQA, SCBWI

Languages spoken:  English

Detail of Self Portrait by Salley Mavor: a personal history of fashion, fabric relief, 2007, 12”H x 12” W x 1”D

Click on the slide show images to go to Salley's books on Amazon:

Tags:  mixed media, found objects, wool felt, dolls, beads, wood, RISD

Susan M. Hinckley

www.susanmhinckley.com

I'm a writer-turned-artist who stitches my stories full time using a needle and thread, felted wool, and a variety of mixed media embellishments.  

Artist's statement: I feel a strong connection to the domestic needlework tradition and am particularly interested in the role handwork plays in the lives of those who create it, be it practical, expressive, or therapeutic.

My pictures depict glimpses of everyday (well, sort of) people and animals, combining a love of words, folk art and fiber.  Simple shapes, bright colors and a word or two tell the story, inviting the viewer to engage in an exploration of the ordinary made extraordinary through the use of a little imagination and a lot of tiny stitches.  But my work is as much about the process as it is about product. 

My pieces are 100% hand-stitched.  I love the feel of the wool and the slow pace at which the picture is revealed.  Using repurposed and hand-dyed felted wool, I sew and embroider each layer, incorporating beads, vintage trims, found words and phrases.  I take delight in giving discards a new life.

My education is in creative writing.  Perhaps that explains my need for words to complete the picture.  Most often my words are cut from vintage magazines of the 1920's - 1950's.  Quirky colors and fonts and the hunt for just the right letter add to my enjoyment of the process and ensure that each piece is truly an original. 

Location:  Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA

Online shop: smallworksinwool

Blogs:  

   small works in wool
   the world is so full

Membership: 

   FAMM (Fiber Arts and Mixed Media)

Languages spoken: English

 "Dreamgarden" by Susan M. Hinckley

Tags:  self-taught, hand-stitched, vintage, embroidery, applique, narrative, folk art, embellishment, wool, felt  

Dijanne Cevaal

http://www.origidij.blogspot.com

I am a full time  textile artist who dyes and prints her own fabric and constructs it into quilted and stitched textile hangings. I also make fabric for sale.

I teach many of the processes I incorporate in my work.

I am an author of instructional books in relation to quilting and design

I am also passionate about travel and am presently a creative guide for Syria for Creative Arts Safaris, also a TAFA member.

Artist's statement:  My quilts are a product of a lifelong engagement with textiles, the mobility of the stitch, the interaction of colour created by dyeing and printing, and the creation of stories. As a small child I built constructions that were stitched and embroidered and this love of embroidery continued through my teenage and adult years. I have  a Masters degree In Visual Art(textiles) from  Charles Sturt University, NSW which has pushed me to examine the textile surface in a more immediate way, not simply as a vehicle for imagery, but a return to the touch and textuality of textiles, its intimacy and its narrative content.

All the fabrics in my work are hand dyed, and I employ simple printing techniques to create original one-off fabrics used in my work. I love simple resist techniques such as folding and tieing, having fallen in love with the indigo cloth of West Africa. I tend to work in fairly simple colour contrasts though the cloth I use is often complex in the colours they contain. Stitching both by machine and hand are important elements, as is the creation of texture. My work is much inspired by the Australian landscape, and in particular the Otways, where I worked and lived with my children.

In the past 10 years I have been curating traveling exhibitions, that have travelled mostly to Europe and the Middle East.  My travels have opened up a whole new world of textiles- the Middle East was a treasure trove of textiles made by hand in time honoured ways- they were stunning and they have offered plenty of inspiration for future work.

Location: itinerant but Australian

Online shops: Origidij Blog, Picture Trail

Blogs: Oridij Blog, Seriously Textile

Memberships: Fiberconnection
Languages spoken: English, Dutch, some French, some German some Italian

"Teapots Variation" by Dijanne Cevaal



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Tags:  Art quilt, stitching, dyeing, printing, teaching, travelling, printing, embroidery

Carolyn Manning Designs

www.freewebs.com/cmanningdesigns

Greetings!  My name is Carolyn Manning and I play with string. Oh, and fabric, buttons, beads, lace and sometimes broken color crayons.

While I experiment with many mediums I have found myself drawn in the most by needlework, fiber arts and textiles.

I have been a cross-stitch and needlework designer for the last decade.  I stitch all of my own designs as well and am always looking for ways to work in old buttons, beads and various other trinkets I have collected throughout the years.  When I package up patterns and include embellishments, rarely will you find two patterns with the same goodies inside.  I find charm in all things old and repurposed.

I like simple and uncomplicated.  Flawed is pretty to me.  A cracked button or a tarnished charm can be perfect worked into a piece.  I am currently working on a series of designs that will combine my love of needlework with vintage fabrics.  (Something else that I collect along with the buttons and broken crayons!)

My 'Illustrator' side shines through most often in my designing with my goofy-faced, whimsical characters.  I think I am known best for my snowmen but I am also influenced by my love of gardens, fantasy and fairy tales.  This next year I intend to explore designs that are  different from my usual 'cartoony' pieces so that I can satisfy all of my creative urges.

I want to create designs that encourage others to pick up a needle and exclaim, "I can do that!"

Artist's Statement: As long as you have breath, you have at hand all you need to create.


Location:  Mankato, Minnesota, USA
Online shops: Hoffmandis (Wholesale Distributor)
   C Manning Designs (My website)
   Etsy
Blog: Make Believe Places and Magical Spaces
Important Links: 
   Hoffman Distributing Company
   Kreinik Manufacturing  (TAFA member)
Languages spoken: English

Cross stitich patterns available from 

Carolyn Manning Designs

Tags: cross stitch, needlework, designing, fibers, textiles, vintage, repurpose

Ruth O'Leary Textile Art

 http://www.rutholearytextileart.co.uk/

I'm an embroiderer and textile artist based in Sunderland, North East England. I mostly use traditional techniques, but in a contemporary way, and particularly love goldwork, appliqué, and split stitch.

I specialise in hand-embroidered pieces, from large, bold panels and hangings to small, detailed pictures, though I also produce free machine embroidered panels and vessels.

I am particularly known for 3D pieces, especially in goldwork embroidery, but also including hand-made slip cases for books, each one uniquely tailored to the book it contains.

Artist Statement:   I am a largely self-taught embroiderer and textile artist based in the North East of England. I am particularly interested in the ways in which centuries-old hand embroidery skills can be used in the modern day, especially the use of medieval Opus Anglicanum techniques. As such, I use its principle techniques – goldwork and finely shaded split stitch – in my own contemporary designs. This requires considerable craft skill, an eye for detail, and a good deal of patience! I also enjoy the challenges of hand-finished machine embroidery for larger-scale pieces, but the beauty and versatility of metal thread embroidery will always be my first love.


Location:  Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, UK
Blog: Ruth O'Leary Textile Art
Membership: Embroiderers' Guild
Social Media: Hand Embroidery Network
Language spoken: English

"Kate's Crow" by Ruth O'Leary

Tags:  Gold work, metal thread embroidery, surface embroidery, dimensional work, sculptural

Manitoba Gifts

 www.manitobagifts.com

I have enjoyed doing handwork for most of my life. I use hand-dyed wool for much of what I create. I then embellish my work with embroidery and crochet to achieve the look I desire. I also do applique work using silks and batiks.  

I used to own a brick and mortar shop and sold many local and regionally made handcrafted items. The name of the website comes from the name of the street my shop was on. The shop was in Wayzata, Minnesota, NOT Manitoba Canada. (Sometimes people are confused.) 

My partner does leatherwork, so you will see his work for sale on our website.  Now I am concentrating on selling my work through our website, galleries, and wholesale.

-Debra Gangelhoff

Pincushions by Debra Gangelhoff, Manitoba Gifts

Location: Long Lake, Minnesota, USA
Online Stores: Etsy and Manitoba Gifts
Blog: Manitoba Stitches

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Tags: handmade, pincushions, hand dyed wool, embroidery, crochet, applique, handmade pillows, kitchen goods, handmade household items

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