One of
the benefits of being a thread maker is that we get to meet creative
people every day. To see what a designer, teacher, stitcher, or retailer
creates out of our thread and their chosen medium…well, it excites,
inspires and motivates us here at the Kreinik thread factory.
We
recently met fiber artist Meg Chobanian through a mutual friend, Pamela
Armas. Pamela is an amazing, creative person herself, running a doll
pattern and fabric business, Treasures of the Gypsy. The Gypsy Doll
Challenge is a main, annual exhibit at International Quilt Market, and
we have been a sponsor for many years. We love working with Pamela's
doll artists and exhibit many of their creations in our booths. When
Pamela put us in contact with Meg Chobanian, we immediately wanted to
tell you about this unique fiber artist.
First, take a look at the photo galleries on the web site: http://qexpeditions.com/photo_gallery.htm
where you will see playful imagination combining color with dimension.
One of Meg's themes is to create designs that speak to some childlike
part of each viewer, and you can see that wonder and delight in many of
her creations.
“I began
making doll clothes as soon as I could cut fabric and hold a needle,"
Meg says. Her grandmother was a turn-of-the-century couturier and her
mother was an expert dressmaker. Clearly, she was bound for a creative,
textile life.
"I was off
and running when I found my first book about quilting. And that has led
to art quilts, surface design experiments, teaching, designing and a
thread oriented way of life," she adds. Currently she is focusing on
using fabric and fibers to create tactile art "somewhere between
painting and sculpture." That sounds exciting, and we can't wait to see
what Meg creates next.
Meg distributes her line of patterns through her web site, www.qexpeditions.com,
and one of her Internet shops. She also teaches. “I get inspiration
from teaching," Meg notes. "It’s rewarding to start a new quilter with
the basics and see them so thrilled and caught up in this thing I can
share with them.”
We are
excited to show photos of these unique dimensional ornaments Meg created
for our exhibit at Fall International Quilt Market. They feature
Kreinik Iron-on Threads and fabric as a sculptural ornament, rather than
a flat, pieced piece. Imagine the creations twirling on your Christmas
tree, twinkling in reflection of the holiday lights, fun, playful,
child-like. You can almost sense a blend of ages: a child's wonderment
with a fiber artist's craftsmanship.
“I believe
there is an almost mystical quality in things created by hand.," Meg
says in her Artist's Bio. "A part of the maker’s spirit must remain in
something that takes so many hours of work. I want each one of my
pieces to become someone’s heirloom, to continue the thread of
creativity through the generations. Art is food for the soul of
humanity and from the soul of humanity. Given scraps or hardship we can
all still create beauty and goodness with what we have, and each of us
can enrich our own corner of the infinite universe by the simple things
we can share.”
Read more...
As
we approach a busy holiday week, part of a busy holiday month, we want
to say thank you to every stitcher, crafter, designer, teacher,
retailer, manufacturer, distributor and more — all of the wonderful
people we have met and worked with this year. You inspire us with your
ideas and creations, and we love making threads for you.
The
Kreinik thread factory will be closed from December 22 to January 1 so
that our family and staff can enjoy time with their friends and family.
We will reopen January 2. In the meantime, enjoy this free Angel
Biscornu patter, courtesy of the design team at Praiseworthy Stitches (http://www.
