Artist Statement
“To Clothe the Body and Lift the Spirit”
“Since 1982, I have created individually designed hand-woven apparel and accessories for women made of natural fiber yarns; cotton, rayon, linen, and now bamboo. My fabric is designed to coordinate with the colors of current collections of several designers; Flax, Eileen Fisher, and other separates lines. Garments may be trimmed with batiks from Indonesia, elegant cotton prints, vintage fabrics, and hand painted cottons, fabrics are shrunk after weaving and garments can be hand washed in cold water with a gentle soap. Garments are sized small, medium, large, and extra large, as well as one size fits most. However, garments may be worn up or down a size depending on how you want them to fit and drape. I am inspired by Japanese kimonos, ethnic clothing and nature for my fabric and garment designs. The current collection I am immersed in is inspired by the impressionist works of Claude Monet. Using variegated rayon yarns and a floating pattern in the weft, as well as a shimmer of soft colors blending across his pallet, I have tried to capture something of his approach to texture and color. I hope you enjoy my work.
In my beautiful studio on the banks of the Reedy River in the arts district of Greenville, South Carolina, I weave on a large 6’ by 9’ maple loom. My 16 harness AVL loom lets me weave a generous width fabric, which shrinks to about 53” after washing and drying. Occasionally I dye my yarns to obtain a color I can’t find. Sometimes I can plan what kind of garment a fabric will become, sometimes the resulting drape of the fabric tells me what to create with that piece of hand-woven. I use open weaves and very fine yarns to create the gauzy, lightweight texture of my scarves and shawls.”