First I start with white chiffon silk which I hand-dye using the traditional Japanese Folk art of resist dyeing called shibori. (Read more about Shibori) The silk fabric is wound around a pole, wrapped with thread, then pushed into folds and immersed in dye. I also use other manipulating techniques in the folding, pleating and binding of the silk to create interesting patterns.

Once the silk has been resist-dyed, I then start the nuno-felting process. Here I apply fine strips of merino wool (soft unspun wool that looks a lot like cotton balls) and lay this on top of the shibori dyed silk to be felted in a wet-rolling technique. During nuno-felting, the wool fibers are wetted and softened with soapy water, rolled onto a foam noodle, then stimulated through movement and friction. The wet-rolling technique forces the wool fiber through the silk chiffon to migrate and bind together.

I love combining the lightness and luminosity of silk with the warmth and texture of wool. My work is influenced by geometric patterns and linear lines commonly found in nature. I continue to be fascinated with the process and its unpredictable results. I love the sense of spontaneous investigation that always occurs. Each piece that I create is a unique, vibrant one-of-a-kind wearable work of art.