The welcoming of sunlight is a positive thing, as is the opening of a flower or the soaring of a bird; these elements are just a few of the many that occur often in nature. For human beings, life is a continual shift, a stretch; when open, we are able to see constant pattern and reoccurrence, too. I am an artist that has worked with fabric for over thirty-five years; beautiful, luxurious fabric that has depth, texture, color and movement. I like to draw connections between my art, life and the broader world. Life On The Bias is a metaphor title representing my life and work.
Fabric consists of single threads, woven together by the warp and weft in the weaving process. The lengthwise or straight of the grain allows very little stretch or give, the crosswise grain has a small amount of give, but the bias of the grain is supple and giving. Fibers such as linen, wool, silk and cotton have an incomparable fluidity when cut on the bias of the grain line. It is within the challenge of the stretchy bias I most often work to complete garments and accessories.
Knowing fabric is of utmost importance as a designer and seamstress. When working with the bias, I use it to my advantage; to shape a sideband of a hat or the drape of a skirt. Stitching pieces into place allows me to maintain the line I am trying to achieve on a project.
There also exists a thread in my life: connecting me, providing a necessary constant amidst the change created by the pull of lifes’ bias that urges me to be flexible, to stretch outside my comfort zone, to create, to change even when what I thought was stitched true and tight begins to tear away. This is the thread weaving its way through all our lives. This is about my thread ; stitches that tell my stories, and that may just overlap with yours. Let’s begin looking for where we overlap.
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