Biography
I have worked with fiber in many different ways from high school
on. Thrift and creativity prompted me to learn how to sew and
decorate my own clothes. In my teens and early twenties I designed
and stitched fine embroidery on apparel and accessories, card-wove
belts, made clothes and ran a commercial slipcover and re-upholstery
business.
I devoted the next twenty-five years to progressive education, as an
elementary school teacher, a teacher in The People’s Republic of
China, an Outward Bound instructor, a program director of a
university outdoor leadership training program, a Dean of Students
and founder of an Outward Bound adaptive program in a new Quaker
high school, and the founder of a teacher training program, The
Multi-Sensory Learning Institute.
In 1998, I resumed my creative exploration of fiber arts. As a
student and former teacher at The School in Rose Valley, which
started in the heart of the 1920’s Arts and Crafts era, I absorbed
the ethic that quality hand-made objects that are both functional
and aesthetically pleasing are better than machine-made items.
My work reflects my twin commitments to creating beauty that serves
a useful purpose in daily life and judiciously reusing the world’s
resources. I make one-of-a-kind wearable art, using primarily
reclaimed materials: knitted and woven wool, silk, linen and cotton,
polar fleece, interior design fabric samples, whimsical decorations,
and even men’s ties. From patterns I have developed, I then sew
hats, mittens and several sizes of handbags. I decorate each item
with hand-stitching, tassels, beads, buttons, and whimsical trinkets
the majority of which are also reclaimed. Each item is a unique
piece of functional art.
