As a teacher and lecturer on the subject of Wearable Art I find I have arrived at a place in life that I have been searching for since I was a child. Growing up in the 1940s my main interest and entertainment was the movies. During that period, which was the time of World War II, the focus of the Motion Picture business was to keep the morale of the country high by presenting up-beat musicals and comedies with cheerful story lines and fabulous clothes and costumes. I didnt want to be an actress; I wanted to make those clothes.
I learned to sew at an early age because my mother and grandmother had the patience to teach me and I was a very willing student. Like most little girls I loved to play dress up and became quite creative in making things for myself and the other children who wanted to play.
The insatiable desire for clothes as a teen-ager caused me to strive to improve my sewing skills. I can vividly remember some of the fabulous things I made to wear. As I look back now I cant believe my mother allowed me out of the house in some of my creations. She must have known I was not only honing my skills but also finding my style.
As a young wife and mother my sewing skills allowed me to work at home to add to the family income as I cared for our children. I have continued my sewing business for fifty years. I have during this time sewed on every conceivable type of garment, costume, wedding gown and ball gown.
In 1990, at the urging of a friend, I went to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. I had begun to make one of a kind jackets a few years earlier for gallery sales and competition. I went to enter the Stitch In Time Fashion Show with a jacket I had made honoring the women in my life who had inspired me. Titled Deco- Echo, Voices From The Past the black jacket was embellished with black lace and beads that had belonged to my Grandmother, my Mother and my Mother-in-law. I didnt win any ribbons but I found my Utopia. I have been working hard, since then, at becoming an artist and teacher in this world I have been searching for all my life.
My early pieces of Wearable Art were commemorative because my time was limited for creating these works. They all are expressions of love for certain people or times in my life that had great significance. After a few years I had compiled a body of work that called attention to the varied techniques I used and became in demand for teaching locally for Fiber Artists and Wearable Art groups. As my confidence grew I applied to design for the Fairfield Fashion Show and was chosen as a Designer for Three Fashion shows and for two Bernina Fashion Shows. I finally got to design and make costumes worthy of the inspiration I received in the movie theater as a child.
My classes and lectures are designed to teach the drama of simplicity and designer style embellishment. I work best in the role of cheerleader with my ability to teach beginners and experienced sewers how to transfer basic sewing skills into elegant and sophisticated pieces of wearable art. My styles appeal to Fashion Sewers and Quilters alike, who want to create with their skills but dont want a made at home with loving hands appearance. Forty-five years of altering clothing from most of the worlds great designers has allowed me to learn from the inside out the techniques that go into fine clothing. Designing and making custom clothing and award winning Wearable Art has educated me in the style that appeals to women who want to say I made it myself.
My aim as a teacher is to demonstrate and teach my techniques and to encourage creativity by explaining how to start the design process and charting a course that anyone with basic skills and determination can follow. My greatest pleasure is to encourage women who love to sew to realize their creative potential and give them the confidence they need to design and create their own Wearable Art.
