Early Work | Textiles

As a young girl I started sewing for my dolls. Quite elaborate outfits for the little things. So I became very familiar with fabric as a young person. Designing my own clothing followed. Out of art school and doing some illustrating I started designing needlepoint canvasses which were an instant hit on the market. That led to a cottage industry in the early 1970’s. We sold our designs all over the country. In 1978, I painted my first clothing item, see shawl below. In  the 1980’s we launched our first line of custom women’s apparel, very elegant, sleek and modern. As it took off, my small company located high in the Colorado mountains, became inundated with orders. There were so many steps to get a single garment out the door. It was a challenge for me to balance the business aspect along with the creative skills needed to be very current for the fickle fashion market. I learned discipline the hard way, sink or swim.  Always, during my art manufacturing business years, I painted one painting per month at my easel. Learning discipline the hard way, sink or swim, had served me well in my fine art career.