artist info

"zylstra," an embroidery, in process

working on a large rug commission. i'm no longer making rugs.

sasha, my trusty companion

​The first project I can remember making was carnation bouquets out of colored tissues, assembled with a never-ending supply of tissue and all the wire I could use from my grandfather's hardware store on Seattle's waterfront. As I got older, I graduated to more sophisticated fiber art projects--knitting, crocheting, embroidering. By the time I was in junior high, I became fascinated with beads and began collecting them.
 
Although much of my creative energy as an adult went into teaching high school art, I continued working in fiber during my spare time until I began making tufted rugs.
 
After moving to Whidbey Island, I returned to designing and stitching embroideries, and retired from making rugs. I use a variety of threads; mostly cotton embroidery floss as I love the sheen and choice of colors. I incorporate a variety of stitches, although French knots predominate my work. Each piece is one of a kind, and an original design. Many of my pieces are landscapes of places around here on the island.
 
I also incorporate punch needle embroidery into some of my hand stitched work. The same technique of my rugs, but on a much smaller scale using embroidery floss instead of yarn. I enjoy the compact nature of this little known process, sometimes including beads as I work with designs taken from the natural world.
 
I also design jewelry and although fiber and jewelry seem like conflicting mediums, working with both soft and hard materials makes perfect sense to me. I love the tactile quality of working on embroideries, as well as the rich colors of the thread. But I also love selecting the unusual beads used in my jewelry, and the unique bead/silver compositions.