Thanks to the many thread-a-holics out there my stock of hand-dyed threads for sale is totally depleted. (Except for the ones I’m hoarding for myself!) I’ve received many kind notes from stitchers who have used the threads in their artwork ..read more

I have not dyed this summer. And I’ll not be dyeing this autumn either. Why all this lack of dyeing? What’s going on? My dyeing education began in 1973 when I worked in a costume shop at my college. By ..read more

My new online class, Creative Stitch Combinations, is all about combining basic hand embroidery stitches to create dynamic textures, patterns, and shapes with thread for your free-form embroidery projects. I hope you can join me! I’ll show you my favorite ways ..read more

Soon it will be autumn in Illinois. (That is if we can survive the summer!) And soon my duet of art quilts, Fine Line Trees Summer and Autumn will be on view at the SAQA and Timeless Textiles Exhibition, Joining Threads. The exhibition opens on August 13th, 2024, at Timeless Textiles in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Timeless Textiles, the only commercial fiber art gallery in Australia, and SAQA are partnering together to present this unique opportunity for SAQA artists. This exhibition is composed of 2 artworks (each 30cm by 30 cm) by each artist which are a diptych or speak to one an ..read more

Did you know I live a secret life? Yes, I am one of those crazy people exploring the mysterious world of ceramics. Not ceramics made on a potter’s wheel. No, no no, I’m a hand builder. Once I tried throwing a pot on the wheel and the clay flew off and splattered all over the studio. Hand-building is safer for my fellow students. Like other art forms you’ve probably explored, working with clay is like working with textiles. Both mediums let you create texture, and shape, and explore favorite themes like houses, birds, and trees. But most importantly for me, hand-building lets me impr ..read more

Working without a hoop when making free-form embroidery has its advantages. It may be easier on your hands if there is no hoop to grip while stitching. Improvised designs are more organic and less stiff-looking. And you can use fabrics like felt and wool that would be marked by the hoop leaving creases. Fine Line Tree #15 by Laura Wasilowski But there are also disadvantages when stitching fabrics without a hoop. The most obvious is that the fabric will become distorted like this example on wool called Fine Line Tree #15. Intense stitchery in the area of the fields pulls the blue wool fabri ..read more

Do you suffer from silkaphobia the fear of silk fabric? Does it scare you to use it in your art work? Want help in overcoming your silkaphobia? Then please join me on May 17 at the online Layered and Stitched event on Creative Spark where I’ll show you how to make the silk art quilt, Fine Line Tree above. My presentation, Creating Silk Art Quilts, is about taking the fear out of working with silk. I’ll talk about what types of silk to use, show you how to paint white silk for a sky, assemble a fused design, and add hand embroidery to the small silk art quilt. Lay ..read more

Home in the Country #2 by Laura Wasilowski My free-form design on felt is complete. It is stitched to a rectangle of yellow felt using the fly stitch and French knots around the pinked edges. The yellow felt is stitched to a blue cotton fabric that is wrapped around a stiff interfacing. Creating artwork by improvising a design can be a challenge but it is always rewarding. Sure, you don’t have a sketch or pattern to work from but designing a composition as you go is a cheap thrill! Without a pattern, you are free to let you imagination and chance help you create something unique. I recommend f ..read more

The flying flower is well tethered to the tree trunk with chain stitches. Beware! It’s one of those climbing plants that you can take over the garden. I’ve decorated the giant flower with a few French Knots around the edge and filled the lazy daisy stitches on the stem with that same Really Red thread. Oddly enough there is a tiny flower growing off the rooftop of the house. How did that get there ..read more

The new house constructed on the vacant lot next to the trees looks a little stunned by the giant blue dot object hovering overhead. But I’ve stitched the house securely to a mound of solid blue earth using a blanket stitch. (The blanket stitch came in handy to add texture to the blue earth too.) The rooftop is held into place with fly stitches and French knots so it’s not going anywhere either. To take the menace out of the big blue dot in the sky, I’m turning it into a flower. What could be sweeter than a giant flower in your front yard ..read more