Bio and photographs
summer 2008
This page is for those of you interested in checking out my credentials before commissioning work from me, and for those of you curious about the person behind this site.
Currently I work mostly with fibres and cloth. As well as one of a kind fibre art pieces, I make directions, drawings and photographs to help other people to make things from fibre and cloth too.
I own Alderspring Design (alderspringdesign.com) a company which designs and sells patterns for home sewing and crafting enthusiasts. Connected to Alderspring Design is this site, Sashiko Stitchers (sashikostitchers.com) and About Furoshiki (aboutfuroshiki.com)
Hand painted yellow raincoat, wearable art piece.
Education
1997-1999 Textile Arts, Capilano College, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
1993-1995 Photography, Vancouver Community College and Ampro Studio, Vancouver, BC, Canada
1998-1991 Sociology BA, University of British Columbia, Canada
Upcoming
2010 Sashiko and applique project in A Needle Pulling Thread (magazine)
2010 Furoshiki product review in American Quilt Retailer (trade magazine)
2010 sashiko and applique project in Quilters Connections (magazine)
- Hand dyed and printed silk yardages
Trade and Consumer shows 2009 October. Houston Quilt Market (Trade Show) Texas, USA
2009 August. Fibre Art Festival (merchant market) Gibsons, BC, Canada
2008 Fibre Arts Merchant Market, Gibsons, BC, Canada
2008 Quilt Market, Portland, Oregon, USA
2007 Fibre Arts Merchant Market, Gibsons, BC, Canada
2007 International Fibre Market, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Art Shows
2009 August Gibson’s Landing Fibre Art Festival Show (Juried)
2009 May Station House Gallery Show, Williams Lake, BC “By Our hands”
2008 Gibson’s Landing Fibre Art Festival Show (Juried)
2007 Gibson’s Landing Fibre Art Festival Show (Juried)
2004 Gibson’s Landing Fibre Art Festival Show (Juried)
2004 Gibson’s Public Art gallery (Juried)
2003 Gibson’s landing Fibre Art Festival Show (Juried)
2002 Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver, “Come rain or Come Shine” (Juried)
1999 Harmony Festival Textile Show, West Vancouver (Juried)
1999 Community Art Council Gallery, Vancouver, “Telling our stories in cloth”
1999 Community Arts Council Award.
- tapestry owl, hand dyed wool yarns, hand woven
1998 Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver (Student show)
Publications
2009 Furoshiki article in Quilting Art’s Gifts (magazine)
2009. Sashiko stitched project, in Patchwork Comforters, Throws & Quilts (book) DRG Publishing
2009 Furoshiki bags article, Asian Fabrics (magazine)
2008 Asian Fabrics (magazine) issue 14 article “Why Tie One”
2008 Table Runners (book) DRG Publishing, two sashiko stitched projects
Personal note
Cloth is a deceptively humble material to work with, it lacks the status of paint or marble or metal. Yet it is cloth that receives us at birth and covers us at death. In the past the cloth used for these and other ceremonial occasions in life, was lovingly individually made and embellished. These cloths, often being embellished with symbols of family, social, and religious membership, added
- Sashiko hand stitched kimono with colored thread and bead embellishing.
both beauty and significance to life
Cloth, made beautiful and used in this way, made art part of everyday practice, rather than a separated activity that only certain people could do.
I believe in ordinary people making things with their hands. I believe it is important to have around us things which were created by people we know and love. So I began by making things. And now I make up directions and drawings and photographs so that other people can make those things too.
Best Regards, Susan
sfletcher@alderspringdesign.com
- Mixed hand and machine dying and stitching.
