That’s fancy French for twigs and twine, plus

Things of yours, things of mine,

Buttons and ribbons and scraps and beads,

Trinkets you love but nobody needs,

Bits of bracelets, a charm, a locket,

An orphaned earring I found in my pocket,

A broken doll from years before,

A piece of thing from the back of the drawer...

Whimsical, worrisome, wonderful things

Woven together with sticks and strings.

 

Recently, a friend said, “my train of thought has left the station.” That’s the way it is with me, as one handcraft melds into another. Knitting, embroidery, beads, buttons and orphaned jewels happily co-exist with needle-felted totems and accessories, extravagant crazy quilts and other fiber-art challenges in this small corner of my world.

I am happiest when creating something with my hands. Fascination with fiber, fabric, buttons and beads comes naturally to me as it has with many generations of the women in my family.

When selecting materials, I am guided by re-use/recycle/re-purpose. Too much stuff in our cupboards and closets from long ago -- whether yours or someone else's -- often hold a lot of feelings. If those feelings aren't there, it’s just clutter, but if those silly little cups and shoes and dolls provided meaning or pleasure, why not repurpose them into things that can have new use and meaning?               

The heart of my work lives in my open-minded dolls. I thought I was making Spirit Dolls, but they somehow became more Spirited Dolls. Why are their heads open? It’s a long story that didn’t quite end up where it started, but all of them are open-minded, bursting with all the ideas and feelings too complex to be contained.

As a former theater arts professional, I feel about handcrafts the same way I feel about singing – first you learn how to do it the "right" way and then you learn how to do it the way that is right for you. I continue to reach beyond traditional methods and patterns and find my own ways with design.