time I learned something new, I couldn’t
wait to get back to my studio.
One of things I love about my studio
is the stations I set up to be able to
effi ciently navigate the act of creating. I
have a cutting station, ironing station,
fabric-painting station, and fabric and
thread stations. I love knowing exactly
where my supplies are, so I can spend
more time using them and watching my
creations come alive.
I have also learned that having the
right tools helps me actualize what I
have imagined. Little things are
important: having the right fabric
paints to create vibrant backgrounds to
stitch on, making sure my fabrics and
specialty threads are organized by their
different textures so I can easily choose
the ideal fi ber for a project, or investing
in the appropriate embroidery needles
so stitches turn out correctly and
repetitive stitching is more pleasant.
I invested in appropriate sewing
machines to make my fi ber exploration
less taxing and more fun. I use
free-motion stitching to create many of
my projects, so having a Bernina®
sewing machine with a stitch regulator
has been extremely useful for small
thread-painting projects. Eventually I
invested in a sit-down Innova®
longarm, because that machine allows
me to go through many layers of
textured fabrics when I work with large
projects.
When I’m not creating art in my
studio, one of my favorite pastimes is to
explore nature, specifi cally fl ower
gardens. I am one of those people whowill stop at the side of the road if I see
fl owers! I love to take pictures for
future art projects. I’m interested in
what grows together and continually
amazed by the beautiful and unique
fl owers that grace our earth.
After these excursions, I can’t wait
to get into my studio to capture the
beauty that inspires me. I have learned
that using multiple techniques gives the
art some perspective. For example,
when I learned thread painting and
trapunto, it inspired me to create ‘paths’
in the gardens. I love the way the
thread-painted paths with trapunto
steppingstones lead you to an array of
silk ribbon fl owers that are raised from
the background, almost calling out to
you to come and smell them.“Flower Path” • 8" x 6"