Craft Show Artists 2009

Elyse Allen — New York, NY   |   elyseallentextiles.com

Combining knitting with embellishing, I mix luxurious yarns with Swarovski crystals to create timeless wearable accessories. The textiles have dynamic color and pattern effects that are refined, yet highly functional.

Beth Ann & Steve Schunke — Battle Lake, MN

"Once Upon a Time Fibers" began in 1986 when a laundering mishap shrank Beth's favorite angora sweaters. She made them into wobbly-seamed mittens & has recycled & shrunk sweaters in woolly mammoth proportions since! They have evolved into 10 sizes of angora or cashmere-lined, multi-layered, bi-cuffed originals that boast of warmth & comfort...and the seams no longer wobble! Each pair is composed of 16-34 pieces cut & sewn from reclaimed sweaters. Many are embellished with tell-tale signs of their "Once a Sweater" origin such as buttons, plackets, pockets, beads, embroidery, yarns & ribbing. They received the 1996 Audubon Naturalist Society's award for outstanding work reflecting their mission to increase environmental awareness & encourage preservation & renewal of natural resources. Hand-me-downs turn "Two Thumbs Up" and warm hands wont forget!

Lori Bacigalupi & Serene Bacigalupi
Norman, OK   |   kissofthewolf.com

We employ direct dye applications including hand tooled Batik, Shibori and Silkscreen using Japanese, Korean, Chinese Silks and some hand-woven Indonesian Cottons. Inspiration comes primarily from recognizing our instinctive place in the world community. The circle or diamond pattern for example is universal withstanding time and cultural barriers.

Karen Bernthal — Minneapolis, MN   |   kirkedesignstudio.com

I've taken an American icon, the T-shirt, and re-envisioned it. T-shirts are ubiquitous and generally not very well designed, but still embraced by our culture. I seek to elevate T-shirts to wearable art status without losing qualities I admire, namely accessibility and comfort. I work with them as a form, much like a clay artist works with teapots as a form. My aim is to keep the tops pure, which for me means without superfluous design. I offer texture and visual tension through the seaming itself, which I call squiggly embroidery. The seaming is created using a 'merrow' machine. The raised seams signal design that's unconventional, informal and honest. The thread color or, more accurately, the mix of colored threads in each seam balances the texture and introduces grace notes into the composition, making my version of wearable art into the apparel version of hand-made stoneware; casual, inventive, and strikingly designed, but without the formality of porcelain.

Lauri Chambers — Nordland, WA   |   laurichambers.com

Feltmaking is a primitive and marginal technology - physically apprehended in a direct and immediate way. I layer merino wool fiber over a large spherical form and secure it to that form by wrapping it in cheesecloth. I drench the construction with warm, soapy water. I pound it until it begins to hold together. At this point the material is quite thin and fragile. I remove it from the form and further manipulate it until it is reduced to "hat size". This "fulling" action makes the felt very thick and strong. I rinse it then and stretch it over a hat block. (My blocks are of my own design.) All elements of each hat are built in at the beginning of the process. Nothing is stitched on. I like the engineering challenge of this approach and because of it the final result has some sense of mystery. Each hat is unique. I often work in series so that each design suggests and leads into the next.

Randall Darwall — South Yarmouth, MA   |   randalldarwall.com

All work is hand-woven and/or hand dyed silk (in complex weaves) scarves, shawls and garments.

Ignatius Creegan & Rod Givens
Petersburg, VA   |   ignatiushats.com

Braided Wheat straw is stitched together to form a hat body that is finished with wire and ribbon. It is then trimmed with findings and milliner-made trims.

Danielle Gori-Montanelli — Fairfield, CT   |   studiodgm.com

When I start a piece, I have only a basic vision in my mind, more about what the work feels like than what it looks like. I just throw myself into the rich warm textures and colors of the felt and watch the pieces evolve almost by themselves. I cut the felt by hand and start building up the layers, sewing them together using strong sharp needles to penetrate the thick material. I enjoy the improvisational nature of the process, toying with the colors and forms and letting the work just happen.

Heidi Hess — Chicago, IL   |   heidihess.com

A hand-loomed knitwear collection that is complimentary to all body sizes. Flattering to a woman's figure. Including one-of-a-kind cardigans, dresses, camisoles & pants. I look for new fibers from endless sources from around the world and never make too much of one body style. My designs are better in person and not easily photographed. Women who wear my designs most likely will have more than 1. This is my 1st year of doing art shows and I love meeting my new customers.

Jean M. Hicks — Seattle, WA   |   jeanhicks.com

Artist Jean Hicks developed her unique perspective over two decades of experience, work and travel. She holds degrees in history, Spanish and education. As a maker, she studied classical millinery under Wayne Wichern. But her sculptural perspective on felt has also been influenced by work in ceramics, especially her studies at the Escuela de Artes y Applicadas de Deseños in Vittoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Developing her own distinctive style of hand-blocked felt has lead Jean Hicks not only to found Erratica Handmade Felt but also to solo shows, theatrical collaborations and interior design. Her work is held in numerous private and museum collections and she is a 2005-2006 Artist Trust and Washington State Arts Commission Fellow.

Sally L. Jones — Oneonta, NY   |   sallyjones.com

Original designs are screen printed on silk and made into accessories and clothing. A variety of other applications are also used to apply color and texture.

Selma Karaca — Brooklyn, NY   |   selmakaraca.com

Since 2000, working and developing the idea of infinite movement on "Spirals" and "Whirling' extension of gowns or casual dresses. The Spirals: It is one of my signature style that is one long Stretch Cotton fabric spirals around the body. Comfortable and easy to wear. As well as the Whirling style, I hand cut one or half inch wide, long bias fabrics while swirling (sewing) around the foundation fabric vertical or horizontally to create layers of dimension. To be able to create the texture, color and layers I use wide variety fabrics (canvas, silk, cotton, contemporary horse hair ribbon "synthetic" and more).

Lisa M. Klakulak — Asheville, NC   |   strongfelt.com

I create one-of-a-kind accessories, body textiles and sculptures. I color, weave, felt, stitch and bead fiber, primarily employing natural dyes, protein fibers from silk cocoons and animal fleece, and a variety of found materials chosen for their textures and metaphoric possibilities. I am inspired by humanity's age-old relationship with the protective qualities of fiber through which I convey issues relating to human vulnerability and the need for physical and mental security. I explore a range of wearable textiles, some solely of visual and textural pleasure while others more deliberately reference armor and defensive boundaries. The handbags function as safe receptacles for items that provide us psychological and bodily comfort. Occasionally, concepts are so powerful that I will create sculptural pieces that demand contemplation without the distraction of function, relying on the manipulation of the fiber medium and found objects to suggest the notion of protection.

Chunghie Lee — Providence, RI   |   chunghielee.com

Pojagi, Korean traditional wrapping cloth, construction is triple time sewing that makes the combined stitched lines as strong linear elements. To express the concealed beauty of nameless women's lives, I use transparent silk, layering them together to create dimensional and illusive movement quality. I also make felted wool, hand dyed and hand cut, limited edition Dream Vests ad Scarves.

Mina Mann — New York, NY   |   minamann.com

Mina Mann's signature wraps, stoles and scarves are a natural extension of the well-dressed woman's wardrobe. They capture the drama of an opening night at the ballet, the brilliance of the red carpet, the elegance of an evening out. These luxurious hand-made wraps are crafted in New York City using a variety of luxury fabrics. Worn by opera divas, soap stars, and fashion editors, their appeal transcends fleeting trends in favor of timeless style.

Amy Nguyen — Jamaica Plain, MA   |   amynguyentextiles.com

I am inspired by the craftsmanship and peaceful nature inherent in the intricate hand-dyed kimonos created by innovative Japanese artisans thousands of years ago. I am equally drawn towards technological advancement in textiles and the resources that are available today. I explore these opposites &mdash pushing in new directions — using hand sewn techniques while imbuing a contemporary sensibility in each piece of wearable art I create. I hand-dye, stitch and manipulate each piece of cloth until it can be reconfigured on the body to accent the natural curves of the human form. Past and present, old and new, curved and angular merge to complete my vision.

Mina Norton — New York, NY

My sweaters are influenced by my fine art background and my training as a textile designer. These custom made designs are knitted by machine, hand blocked and hand sewn. The embroidery is done on a chain stitch machine as well as by hand.

Susan K. Otterson — Janesville, WI     

Contemporary knitwear of merino wool and silks, and using plaiting and ribbing techniques.

Gina M. Pannorfi — Chicago, IL   |   ginapannorfi.com

There is a parallel between the process and meditation found in creating any textile, to that which is found in Mother Nature's rhythm's and undulating patterns. The perfect harmony of color, its hues, brightness, lightness and contrasts saturate the world around us. "This work is the tactile evidence that I have for the countless observations of her delicate balance between the simple and the complex, my interpretation of greatest and most delicate resource." These one of a kind textiles are individually crafted. Hand dyed silk is puckered and gathered when combined with merino wool. Traditionally these pieces are used as scarves, shawls, and wraps, but their function is only limited to that of the imagination.

Jeung-Hwa Park — Providence, RI     

Innovative scarves that create a sculptural sense of aesthetics to knitting.

Britt E. Rynearson — Seattle, WA   |   brittrynearson.com

The process sculpts fabric into form. Irregular pattern is created with control. The pattern imitates lines found on the surface of water. The new form moves around the body, enlivened by the wearer. Shape changes as the body moves within the piece. You live in art. You become the vehicle through which the shape is expressed. Bold and loud shapes jump out of this collection in the finest of silks.

Heidi J. Selig — Arlington, MA   |   bluedonkeyclothing.com

I use everyday materials to transform them into complex cloth through various techniques including beading, couching, embroidery, pin tucking, fraying, appliqué, knitting, piecing, etc as the piece requires. I might combine commercially printed cottons with hand-dyed wool or recycled leftovers from other projects with yarn, floss, string, buttons and whatever might be close at hand. I am interested in the shifting of figure and ground, just like in painting. The means of construction is often also the surface design. I am interested in the space where the elemental and the domestic collide, and hope, like any artist, that the finished product will be more than the sum of its parts.

Sonya Mackintosh & Steven Seward
Sheffield, MA   |   smARTwks.com

Drawn to the textures, colors, and patterns found in nature, my resulting scarves are nubby and uniquely three-dimensional with a mixture of fabrics and tones. Those who wear them can express their own individuality and satisfy a need for style and comfort. I achieve the quality I strive for in my work by manipulating traditional knitting looms and finding innovative ways to use them. I also enjoy experimenting with combinations of yarns that are affected differently by heat and water. smARTWORKS, Inc. was founded in 1994 in order to foster an environment where I could focus my work on designing and producing scarves. My scarves are well regarded and are found in fine galleries, boutiques and craft shows in the US and abroad

Lesley Hansard & Rebecca Welsh
Dublin, NH   |   jiffysite.com/felthats

We create wearable art made from 100% merino sheep's wool that is hand felted and hand formed. Our inspiration is drawn from the extraordinary beauty of the flora and fauna on our planet.

Teresa M. Widuch-Kowalczyk — Evanston, IL   |   yantar.com

Linen, wool, silk - each piece is designed, painted, cut and sewn individually. No two pieces are alike and each one has its own story to tell.