Fiber Artists

I spent 33 years teaching art to elementary and intermediate school students outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’ve always had a life-long love of gardening and appreciation of flowers, so during my teaching years, I had a side business drying and framing wedding bouquets. After retiring in 2008, I enrolled in bead embroidery and felting classes at the Society of Contemporary Crafts in Pittsburgh. In undergraduate and graduate school at Edinboro and Indiana Universities of Pennsylvania, respectively, my studies concentrated on various fabric processes, but never felting. My first wet felting class at the Society of Contemporary Crafts was focused on making hats. During that class, I fell in love with the felting process, and it allowed me to incorporate my love of flowers and design into a fabric technique. I expanded from wet felting into nuno techniques, which is fibers felted into an existing fabric, to make scarves. As my love of various felting processes grew, I began participating in art festivals in the Pittsburgh area selling hats, scarves, and three-dimensional flowers. I am a member of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh and my work is sold year round at museums and shops throughout southwest Pennsylvania. I have combined my love of flowers and felting to make accessories for anyone who wants to add a unique conversation piece to their wardrobe. http://tenderblossomscreations.com                              

I have been making my own clothing since I was 7 years old when I knitted my first vest. I always wanted to express myself in unique ways and stand out from the crowd, to be noticed as an individual in the masses; I believe I’ve been successful at this. I knit, I sew, I quilt, I make jewelry, and I do felting. I fell in love with felting. Wool is just a suitable material for me because I love natural stuff! I did not invent felting. It was invented thousands of years ago, and in many cultures, it has been forgotten over the years. I have attempted to try to adapt these methods to the present, using and mixing different techniques, thereby producing truly amazing and beautiful textures and “painting” with wool. Every piece of clothing I make is truly handmade, because I literally make the material from raw wool, combining it with silk, linen, or other materials. I love what I do. I love it because it is pure and simple. It demands patience. It demands a lot of personal handwork, and with my hands, I can show my energy, as well as a part of my soul in every piece that I make. But most important, it is so UNIQUE. No one piece can be repeated. Every piece will always be a little bit different, even if you try to copy it, because the creation of each piece depends on so many different factors, along with the love I put into my work.

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gelmesdesigns.com        

Botanical printing is a steaming process that permanently transfers the pigment from local plants onto natural fabric.    

With a deep connection to the tactile process of fiber art, Jen aims to create pieces that evoke a sense of warmth and texture, turning simple threads into works of art that are functional as well as beautiful.

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www.weaveagoodyarn.com          

   

Creativity and sustainability go hand in hand in my work. As the founder and creator behind Stone Road Boutique, I craft jewelry and accessories that honor the beauty of organic design while embracing repurposed and vintage materials. My approach is intuitive—allowing metal to flow naturally, incorporating stones in a way that feels effortless yet bold, and designing pieces that feel like an extension of personal expression. Beyond jewelry, my passion for sustainability shines through in my vintage-inspired scarves. I carefully source antique lace, reclaimed findings, and I hand-dye velvet ribbon to create one-of-a-kind accessories that celebrate history, craftsmanship, and individuality. Each scarf carries a story, blending the past with the present to create something timeless and unique. Jewelry-making and textile design are more than just creative outlets for me—they are ways to embrace imperfections, honor materials, and craft pieces that resonate with people on a personal level. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, I balance my artistic work with my role as a home care physical therapist, with the goal of transitioning fully into my creative business. Find my work in local boutiques across the North Hills area, at artisan markets, and online at https://stoneroadjewelry.com. Join me in celebrating artistry, sustainability, and self-expression—where every swirl, stone, and stitch has a purpose and a story.    

I was an experienced seamstress when I met weaving for the first time. This meeting opened up a new realm of possibilities in the creation of unique fabrics for the clothing I made. My love of watercolor painting led me to experiment with hand dyeing. My concentration is in creating clothing for women and men. I design and weave my own yardage and tailor the yardage myself. My designs are all original or my own adaptations of traditional garment shapes. I weave my work on a four harness floor loom utilizing mostly natural fiber yarns such a cotton, wool, and silk. I employ hand dyeing at some point in nearly all of my work, either dyeing the warp once it is measured, the weft yarn, or the finished yardage depending on the finished appearance I want. Nature supplies me with endless color possibilities. I continue to be inspired to experiment with the interplay of color, texture, and weave structure in my evolving work. My studio is located in my home. I am a full-time professional weaver, working on a 45″, 4 harness Schact floor loom. My concentration is in creating clothing for women and men. I design and weave my own yardage, and tailor the yardage myself. My garment designs are original patterns I designed myself or are based on traditional garment shapes. My work can be seen at various fine craft shows and fiber festivals throughout Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland. I have won numerous awards for my work, including artistic excellence at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh, PA and Best Craft in Show at 100 American Craftsmen in Lockport, NY. I am a member of the Craftsmens Guild of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and was awarded master craftsman status in that organization in April, 2006. www.thewanderingvine.net      

 

Linda Dujmic is a Pittsburgh potter and fiber artist. She creates functional and decorative art with imagery that express her love of nature. Her clay work includes wheel thrown and hand built pieces. Her fiber creations include art quilts, quilted wall hangings, table runners and eco-printed scarves.            

Yarn has color, texture and when woven into cloth, movement. My passion is to create comfortable and practical clothing for women, men and children that excites and delights. I am still being surprised, after forty or so years of creating cloth, with new color combinations and new shapes. Cotton yarns are wound on the back of one of my fifty inch wide looms in a length of forty five yards, five hundred threads across. Then after the loom is threaded, it takes ten throws of the shuttle carrying the fill yarn for each in h of fabric, a total of three hundred and sixty times for each yard. Each piece is woven individually. The yardage, when complete, is cut off, washed, dried, pressed and cut into the initially imagined piece. jesamiehandwovens.com  

I have been making handwoven women’s clothing since 1975. I use cotton, silk and rayon yarns, hand dyeing most of them. I also incorporate many surace design tenchiques on the surfaces: painting, dyeing, stenciling and discharge (color removal). Now I am primarily focusing on shawls and vests: pieces easily incorporated into any woman’s wardrobe as accessories.    

www.sondrasardis.com    

My goal is eye-catching functional and wearable art. I handcraft bags and clutches, using my own designs and sewing patterns. There are several styles to my handbag line including mini clutches, wristlets, special occasion clutches, handbags, crossbody bags, and large tote style work bags. As a textile artist I also offer hand dyed clothing accessories such as rayon robes, organic cotton wraps, gauzy caftans, and bamboo socks. The aim is to provide the customer unique, wearable art pieces full of color, texture, and functionality.

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Textures Bags & Clutches