My first introduction to sewing was at my Aunt Kitty's kitchen table.  She was a master of the craft, making bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, clothes for her family... all while raising her daughters and working at the local knitting mill.  For her, sewing was both a necessary skill and a fine source of satisfaction, joy and pride.  I absorbed that knowledge from her then, even if I didn't fully understand it in my eight-year-old brain, and I wanted more.  Basically, I was hooked.  Life has taken me far and wide since those days, from one side of the country to the other, and back and forth a few times over... but I always return to the needle and thread.

 

After many years of stitching for custom interiors workrooms and upholstery shops, in California, New Jersey, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, I have decided to focus more attention and time on my own designs and creations.  Many of the quilts and other items that you see here incorporate fabrics that I have dyed using all-natural plant dyes.  All have been carefully designed and made with attention to function, durability, and of course, beauty.  The warm months are for outdoor dyeing, and the colder months are all about the stitching.  Dyeing and hand-quilting are long and slow processes, but I have come to relish the rhythms of the work as it ebbs and flows with the seasons.

 

I use only fabrics made from all-natural fibers, mostly cotton and linen, many of which are vintage and re-purposed.  All are carefully selected for their wonderful softness, texture, and durability.  And of course, nothing really matches the softness and subtlety of color that can be achieved with natural plant dyes.

 

These quilts are meant to be used, and will only get softer with time as they are passed along to the next generation.

 

Commissions are welcome.