In order to introduce our featured artisan, fabric artist Louise Mikowychok, we asked a few questions about her background and craft. Her answers are not only interesting, they are inspiring as well! Thanks to Louise for being our first featured artisan!
OOOH: What sort of quilting do you primarily work in?
LM: I mostly enjoy geometric-type piecing, and in using triangles and squares that when combined, build a whole picture not seen in only one single block. I am working with a piecing method called Foundation Piecing. This is a technique that allows you to have finer, sharper points and intersections between fabrics. You actually sew upside down, using a printed grid instead of lining up the fabrics against each other.
OOOH: What do you think sets your work apart from other fabric artists?
LM: I believe every fabric artist has tried quilting of some sort – I just like the challenge of color combination, and adding embellishment (such as old buttons) to compliment the piece.
OOOH: How long have you worked with quilting?
LM: Do I have to admit this? When my children were pre-school, we lived in Lancaster County – almost 25 years ago I made my first wall hanging, and still have it over my piano. It reminds me of how “green” I was, using scraps from clothes I had made for my daughters. Looking at this piece also reminds me of how far I have come with my skills, and encourages me to create unabashed!
OOOH: Who or what inspired your first quilt, and what continues to inspire you?
LM: My first whole bed quilt (a queen size log cabin that I hand quilted) was inspired by the Amish quilts I would see when I drove through southern Lancaster County during the day. They were hanging high, airing in the wind, and they just called out to me – you can do this, too!
OOOH: In our gallery, your work ranges from smaller ornamental creations to large scale wall hangings. What interesting items have you created in the past?
LM: I have been asked to do many custom pieces – some successful, and some not so much. It is difficult to envision another person’s thoughts in abstract. One success was for the mother of distant cousin who wanted a wall hanging in a lofted foyer. The pattern she chose was out of my comfort zone, and I was nervous when I brought it to her. She loved it, and that gave me added confidence. It is nice to know something you do pleases others.
OOOH: Where do you normally find your supplies? Do you have a favorite supplier?
LM: I like to shop the fabric department of Good’s Store in Quarryville, PA, and at Shady Maple near Morgantown, PA. My favorite online supplier is Keepsake Quilting in Centre Harbour, NH – where I visited with my family one summer. I was in heaven!
OOOH: Do you have any new plans for future designs? What would you like to eventually accomplish?
LM: I am working on two miniature projects, one a log cabin star, and hope to have them framed and in your shop this season.
OOOH: What would be your best advice for someone interested in working with fabric?
LM: Go for it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Fabric is an ever changing medium, and there is always something new and exciting out there to sample. You will always have to rip out some seams, re-do some of it, and form a love-hate relationship with it, but in the end, there is great personal satisfaction and solice in basic acts of creativity. When your friends ask why you buy large pieces of fabric, cut them up into smaller pieces and sew them back together again – smile and say “You would not love me any other way!”
Comments (2)
Dear Louise – Your responses to the questions are delightful, honest and inspiring. Thank you for presenting your art at Out of Our Hands Gallery, and for stopping to smell the roses, sew a quilt, and be yourself.
It is a pleasure to display in your venue! It is a beautiful shop, and such a welcoming atmosphere. I am humbled to be reminded of why I quilt – the questions were easy to respond to. I think one of our “friends” (Nancy – Q’town) may have read this and became inspired, too. She just reported that she dusted off her sewing machine, and after 15 years, is back to sewing! I may not have had any influence, but it is nice to think it “sew”!!