.....and God saw that it was good!
We are all people and creatures of the heavens and earth, grounded in the rhythms of the seasons and connected to
one another through the energy, life and constant presence
of the spirit - all interwoven.
My first experiences with thread and cloth were with my maternal grandmother. We would sit together as she
taught me to sew tiny little Barbie doll clothes. I would
watch her crochet afghans and later find comfort wrapped
in the textures of yarn and memories. As she cross-stitched table linens, I was inspired to try Harganger embroidery.
I now use the rich color and inviting texture of fabric and thread, line and shape to suggest the energy and
movement of life.
Growing up on a farm in northern Illinois provided me with
a lot of time outdoors. Sifting sand out by the driveway with
an old piece of screen, shaping pots out of the clay banks beside the road out to the field, and gardening in the soil
with my family gave me a different tactile experience in the
feel of the richness of the earth. Our old farm house was situated on a hill, and the wind, on stormy days, would
whistle through the sun parlor door letting me know that
the wind spirit could find me anywhere. Summer trips to
Lake Superior gave me a sense of the expansiveness of
space, an eternity, in God's creation of earth and water.
My designs draw inspiration from this natural world.
Later, I graduated from Northern Illinois University with a
BFA in Weaving and Textiles and Clothing and Textiles,
re-experiencing the touch and feel of fiber, cloth and thread
as I prepared for a profession in textiles. I drew from the
rich experience of my past as I learned new techniques and ways of combining design and materials. One of my class projects involved weaving a very large tapestry (12'x14')
using unconventional materials such as 1" cotton cording,
mop yarn and polypropylene rope on a huge unconventional loom. My first commission was also on a grand scale
creating a large fabric tapestry with five seasonal 13'x4', interchangeable banners for the chancel in my home church.
A strong thread winds its way from the first creation
through my years creating as a child and as an adult,
and continues to lead me into a greater exploration of
God's world. The spiritual, natural, and creative worlds
provide the framework where I can design, sew and create; then share it with others who join together in community.
Anne Anderson