Art & Design Archives

Victorian Inspired Textile Commission

January 11, 2011 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Handmade, Inspiration & Education, Organizing Projects 4 Comments

I’m excited to share the latest completed textile commission I delivered to clients on Sunday. This piece was commissioned to fit into a 2 story entrance area in a home that’s design is influenced by Victorian era elements. I discussed the colors, size and overall feel that the client wanted. The chandelier and fabric below are a couple of the main elements of design influence. I wanted to use the peacock feather motif and the colors from the fabric.

I initially did these sketches to get ideas down and then choose materials. Over the last 6 months or so I’ve worked at the piece at times knowing clearly what I wanted to do an at other times I let the piece sit while I figured out technical or creative challenges I needed to solve.

A project like this is so rewarding because it challenges you to step into someone else design aesthetic while remaining true to your personal design style. I knew that this client liked my weaving’s but without my loom set up currently, I was left to find another medium to work with.

I choose to work elements of weaving into this piece by using the long hand dyed fringe as a major design component. I also used a subtle toile fabric as the background and selectively painted motifs that were inspired by a collection of hand colored etchings the client has. I used layers of sheer fabric bringing in both color and metallic sheen. Layers of texture are a common theme in my work and this piece ended up having 3 layers of fabric, 1 layer of fringe, feathers and embellishments including stitching and beading. They were thrilled, I was thrilled and I was thrilled that they were thrilled! My husband was thrilled to have our dining room table back available for use!

The Thread Project::One World One Cloth

January 6, 2011 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Inspiration & Education, Textiles & Pattern 3 Comments

Back in 2001 shortly after 9-11 The Thread Project’s founder, Terry Helwig had the vision to collect and weave together threads for panels representing the seven continents of the world. Her vision was quickly turned into reality when a weaver friend offered to weave one of the first panels and help her to get the word out to find other weavers. I was introduced to Terry through a friend and fellow Thread Project weaver. Shortly after, I met Terry at a Peace Conference in Atlanta, GA, where I was inspired and saw more fully the impact of the project. We heard stories and made them personal connections as we demonstrated and invited attendees to contribute threads and weave sections of one panel for the project. I am grateful I was invited in 2002 to be one of the first of over forty weavers from fourteen countries to contribute to this inspiring global peace-keeping project. I wove one of seven purple warp panels that became the first cloth, “Hope Materializing” (each woven by a different weaver). I was also a “thread ambassador” and coordinated with a local social studies teacher to collect threads from his students. The project was used as a teaching aide for Dave’s class. I then wove these students’ threads along with other threads collected from contributors around the world.

The weft threads came from across the globe. Each thread was a unique and personal contribution which was often sent with personal notes explaining the history of the person’s contribution. There were stories of weddings, lost loved ones, special garments, family tartans, stories that made me laugh, cry and connect with fellow human beings. These ‘yarns’ consisted of just about every imaginable material such as pieces of deadlock, fabric, ribbon, yarn, zippers, rubber tire, lace, and more. As you might imagine, a cloth with a range of materials begins to create a sense of diversity which was one of the beautiful messages of the project.

Each cloth was a different color, with a different title, representing a different message —together all seven signifying the overall message that there can be unity in diversity.

“This fabric of humanity, woven from the bits and pieces of people’s lives, offers a rich and textured experience. The cloths, imbued with a resonance analogous to the great tapestry of life, identify the common thread running through humanity: All people love, hope, dream and hurt.

Some people say our world is hanging by a thread. I say—a thread is all we need.” -Terry Helwig, Founder

I am sharing this now because this year marks the ten-year anniversary of 9-11 and I hope that this project will continue to be a symbol of how such global communities can unite in diversity to encourage tolerance and compassionate communities. Please share stories or follow us on the Facebook page, set up to archive and connect with the many weavers, thread ambassadors, contributors, and supporters of this powerful project. Please share this project with others and help us to keep the threads connected.

In 2014 Terry’s wish to find a permanent home for the project with an organization that promotes peace was granted. “The Thread Project tapestries were gifted to the World Headquarters of the Community of Christ (WHCC) in Independence, MO. The tapestries have been displayed at WHCC since 2008. Thousands of people viewed the tapestries while touring WHCC’s grounds and Temple of Peace. Persons of all faiths are welcome to the Temple which was dedicated in 1994 to the “pursuit of peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit.”

Farewell 2010

December 31, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Photography, Tips & Resources, Wellness & Mindset 3 Comments

Farewell 2010…it’s been a year of challenges and change and as much as I enjoy rising to a challenge it’s exhausting. As I reflect on this past year how it began and how it ended are both very different than I ever could have anticipated! I started the year employed at a relatively creative job, that I was good at and had been doing for over 7 years. About mid-January that abruptly changed as I decided that I was not inclined to relocate for my former employer. Okay…now what?

Well, I decided that I would take the year to reflect on where I’ve come over the past decade and to re-assess where I’m headed. If I was middle aged I might say I was having a mid-life crisis but alas…I am not middle aged and I’m not in a crisis. I’ve experienced a lot of intense emotions this year. I’ve been sad, depressed, angry, resentful, ashamed, scared, lost, confused and bitter…Enough! I spent time reading, traveling, making art, cooking, gardening, volunteering, talking long hours on the phone with good friends, I had a LOT of FUN and I realized that underneath everything I am an artist at heart, I am an ARTIST!

I am so VERY GRATEFUL for the time I’ve been given this year to do this reflecting, to be spontaneous, to do things that I might not get another chance to do and to try to learn how to just be (I’m not very natural at this but I’m starting to learn)! I remember watching a TED conference video a couple years ago about a design firm in NYC that closed it’s doors every 7 years and took the year off to re-group, refresh, renew and rest (I can’t find that talk but if you do, please leave a link in the comments). That’s what this year has been about for me. For a long time I’ve been going full steam ahead, doing a ton of things outside of work with all my friends and family constantly telling me they were amazed by how much I managed to do and I was CONSTANTLY BUSY. It’s funny, there is something about that perpetual motion that is wonderful but it eventually you have to slow down. This year I’ve replenished a bit of my depleted energy and reserved some for the years ahead because I’m ready for 2011! I don’t really do resolutions but I do plan to create a community of creative people around me.

This is the first time I am choosing a word for the year. Thanks to a little exercise that Kim Klassen posted on her blog I was able to discover that my word for 2011 is CLARITY! I had a few other words in mind but nothing really clicked until I did this exercise and it came to me. Setting my intention is powerful and I am so excited to start a new year and see more clearly where I am headed.

~I’m wishing each of you a beautiful New Year!

Spotlight::Our American Textile Heritage~Churchill Weavers

December 21, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Handmade, Inspiration & Education, Textiles & Pattern 1 Comment

Today I’d like to spotlight a part of Our American Textile heritage that I was lucky to be a part of in my early career. Sadly, Churchill Weavers is no longer in business but what I share here illustrates an overview of their generous contribution to the historic roots of textiles and manufacturing in America.

Advertisement showing the front exterior of the Churchill Weavers loomhouse.

Before weaving begins, a warp or vertical the threads of the loom must be made. Weft threads are woven through the warp threads using the loom and shuttle. ca. 1928

Churchill Weaver’s stereocard advertisement, style 15319R.

I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to work for some US textile manufacturing facilities my career, some of which are no longer in existence and some that no longer manufacture in the US. Starting right out of college I landed a job at one of the oldest and finest Hand weaving mills in the US. I’m speaking of the late Churchill Weavers of Berea, KY. Once so valued for their products that the US military spared wool rations so they could weave woolen undergarments for our military men. It greatly depresses me to see their beautifully woven products now being sold as “rare” on Ebay! There were a number of factors that went into the final outcome of Churchill’s doors being closed forever but they didn’t go down without a long battle. Historical textiles from their archives were salvaged and donated to the Kentucky Historical Society. They have compiled quite an amazing online Archive, accessible to anyone!

Churchill Weaver’s stereocard advertisement, style 15451.

Woven Panel made by Churchill Weavers and Designed by Gerhardt Knodel ca. 1978

One of the valuable lessons I learned working at Churchill is that there is no substitution for learning about business and technical data at a facility that manufactures rather than being miles and oceans away from the products you design. If you’d like more information on the fascinating history of Churchill, please check out this blog. A limited selection of baby blankets with original Churchill designs are available here. I’m proud to share below a few of the items I had a part in designing!

Cotton Blanket with Chenille ribbing

Cotton “Basketweave” baby blanket with satin ribbon trim.

Luxurious Golden Wheat Chenille thick and thin throw blanket

I knew when I graduated from college in 1998 with a degree in Fibers (textile design) that it would not be an easy career choice. I headed ambitiously into the profession knowing that the beginning of the end (as I had come to understand it) was already in sight. Shortly after graduating I started seeing the full effects of the “global” market’s influence (and NAFTA) on the textile industry. First, the mills began to run shorter shifts, sell off machinery and start to outsource manufacturing to foreign mills. Within the first 5 years of my career, I had gone from designing for high-end luxury goods manufactured in the USA to designing mass produced goods being imported. I had a hard time with the ethics of this but I needed to stay employed and by then I was beginning to see my friends design jobs being eliminated as their companies not only shut down manufacturing facilities but started to hire

First, the mills began to run shorter shifts, sell off machinery and start to outsource manufacturing to foreign mills. Within the first 5 years of my career, I had gone from designing for high-end luxury goods manufactured in the USA to designing mass produced goods being imported. I had a hard time with the ethics of this but I needed to stay employed and by then I was beginning to see my friends design jobs being eliminated as their companies not only shut down manufacturing facilities but started to hire off-site designers and design studios in other countries. I started to see another trend that was quite maddening. Before I say more this observation is not singularly in regards to the textile industry.

I started to see another trend that was quite maddening. Before I say more, this observation is not singularly in regards to the textile industry. It is the misinformed “American way” to throw something way when it’s broken (or just worn out)! So often we don’t bother trying to fix it because it seems far easier and cheaper to just start all over. This is maddening! Can’t we honor those who have invested so much time and energy to make something beautiful and special?

I am speaking directly about both historic companies and industries disappearing as well as individual makers. We often loose the wisdom of the old ways completely and then find a renewed interest once the individuals who carry this wisdom are all but gone. I will say that the first part of my career in textiles was dedicated to spending as much time around manufacturing and these “wisdom keepers” as possible. I also agree that sometimes new life needs to be blown in but there is often so much we can learn from these establishments.

It was about this time (early 21st cent-Y2K-current) I really became aware of the “Indy craft”-now also called the Makers movement. I started seeing all sorts of crafters, makers and designers pop up on the www. In response to this, I also saw a few new kinds of manufacturing facilities in the US who were responding to the needs of these independent makers. I’m speaking of textile print on demand (such as Spoonflower and others) and weaving mills in particular but I’m sure there are lots of other examples by now. This is encouraging to me on the one hand but also frustrating because we have already lost many older manufacturers. I often think that if the generation gap had found a way to communicate with one another some very unique solutions could have come about and kept some companies afloat.

There are some companies in the industry who did respond in this manner and I see them now as established and valued but also aware of new and upcoming trends. My request to you is this; if you are a maker, manufacturer, lover of all things handmade and you are working in the US please consider the source of your purchase and support our US heritage of manufacturing. We can’t bring back these historic and iconic facilities but we can learn so much from them by informing ourselves and making the most of our purchases now and in the future.

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Release old Dreams~and Make way for new Dreams

December 16, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Photography, Productivity, Wellness & Mindset 3 Comments

While having a conversation with a friend about my goals for my new business, I had one of those moments of clarity and knew I had a choice to Release old dreams (to make way for new ones)! I thought about what my dreams for my business had always been (since graduating from SCAD) but I realized that my old dream didn’t exactly align with what it is that I am doing and want to be doing now.

In this moment I was able to see that it’s okay to release old dreams and expectations. In fact, we have to do this in order to make room for new dreams.

I’m all for de-cluttering and getting rid of things in my life that don’t serve me anymore but thoughts, expectations, and dreams need to be treated in the same manner as actual, physical things!

It can be kind of sad to release your old dreams but please realize that those dreams have served you well. They have motivated you, given you something to strive towards and they have helped shape the direction of your new dreams.
So today I invite you to release those old dreams that no longer serve you. Go ahead, write them down, seal them in an envelope and send them off!