I grew up in a small town in Louisiana. I was surrounded by women who were makers.
Any free time, was spent sewing, knitting, crocheting, tatting, mending or doing embroidery work. I now understand that the “busy work” was to find relief from the pain of life. It helped to soothe the heart ache of losing children and husbands. It helped soothe the overwhelming sadness of losing sons in war. The loss of a home during the depression and a business to fire, were stitched into garments, prayers were embroidered on cotton and quilts made for new babies so full of hope.
I began my journey with fiber arts at age 5 by stitching together fairies from bits of scrap and horsehair pulled from the barbed wire fence. Soon after, I picked up embroidery, sewing, and in the late 60’s, added macramé to my growing list of things I loved to do. In the 70’s, I got my first loom.
Today, I still love creating on frame looms and making soft sculptures and art dolls. I have added image transfer to muslin as another way to give my soft sculpture life and expression.
I believe that as a human, my purpose is to be kind to others. A large part of kindness is to judge softly. Recognizing that I cannot judge another as I have not had their life experiences, listened to their influencers, or lived in their heart and mind is an ongoing process. I believe that being kind to others includes the environment and planet we live on.
