I am a native Washingtonian and am constantly enriched by the wonderful cultural and artistic opportunities in the area. I enjoy doing many fiber techniques, but currently I am primarily felting. Felting came to me through our Potomac Fiber Arts Guild and it has kept me challenged and inspired with its endless possibilities.

I enjoy making felted shawls so much because the shrinkage and migration of the wool through the silk makes the piece organic as well as cohesive. There is an element of magic in the movement of the wool that I find enchanting.

In making my shawls I lay down a layer of silk, usually chiffon, then a layer of Merino wool that feels soft on the skin. Lastly is the fun part--the surface decoration. I love to cut out bits of colored silk and lay them down in a mosaic of movement that swirls around the wearer. Finally, the piece is wetted down with warm, sudsy water, encapsulated in plastic and agitated to felt and full the shawl. When it is complete all the elements are fully integrated with the wool having migrated through all the layers and shrunk to hold them together in a cohesive piece of felt.