to begin with inspo

Some nights I find it really hard to fall asleep. My brain spins in circles thinking about all the things I want to do and create and how I am going to do them and what I need to create them.

I think about the fabric I have, and the yarn, and the tools. I think about garbage (really?) and how there’s so much recycling that can be done to give things a second life.

It’s a wonderful thing to be able to fall asleep with all these ideas circling in my head but it’s also overwhelming. How do you get anything done when the list keeps growing?

Something I’m incredibly passionate is recycling. I collect items that I see potential in for creating new works of art. Most of the time I have been inspired to recycle metal pieces into jewelry, but there is so much potential to take other items, especially plastic, that will only inevitably end up in landfills.

I have probably over a thousand soda can tabs saved to make art out of. I made a coif for a Joan of Art costume using the tabs linked together in mock chainmail. I then used the same chainmail design to create a lampshade. This project was so fun and it’s fascinating how you can create textiles out of unexpected materials. I have so many other materials I have been collecting to create with. I love my scrappy ethos. For anyone wanting to get inspired about recycling with art, I recommend looking into Paula Votteler (@paulasprojects_ on Instagram). Paula is a master at taking trash and making it treasure.

Vivienne Westwood is one of my favorite fashion designers. As the mother of Punk attire, I’ve loved how she combined historical designs with textures and shapes that were maybe not the most obvious choices.

I want to experiment with using eyelets, zippers, snaps, buttons in ways that are not their typical uses. I want to learn: how can I utilize these elements to change the tone of a piece of clothing?

I learned how to knit in 2024 and instantly fell in love with it. As a person who has been sewing for a long long time, it was incredible be able to make the FABRIC that makes up a piece. Understanding how knit fabric, and ultimately learning more about woven fabric, has made me appreciate the whole process of creating textiles. Yarn comes in so many different textures and sizes that you can have so many different outcomes for the fabric you make

I’m still mostly a beginner when it comes to knitting, but there is so much I want to learn. I want to knit more with chunky yarn because I find it satisfying to work with and I love the look of a chunky knit. Something else I want to play with is making lace and learning how to make knits with purposeful holes in them. I’ve been adoring the grungy knits I’ve been seeing and I’d love to learn how to drop stitches to create certain effects.

I want to also play with gauge. The recommended needle size featured on yarn skeins typically let you know the size of needle required to have an opaque fabric with limited holes. I want to experiment more with sizing up needles and allowing the yarn to form a more meshlike texture. I think it would be fascinating to see how cables look with the needle gauge sized up. I bought a knitting machine and am excited to experiment with so many different types of yarn.

Lastly, I want to do more printing on shirts and bags. I have done some solar printing in the past using Jacquard’s solar print dye. It was incredibly fun but definitely a time consuming process with a lot of trial and error. I want to give myself more time and patience to be able to practice with this medium and make some beautiful pieces. Then, of course, see how it applies to other textile uses.

Part of printing that I want to also explore is lino or stamp prints. I love the clean thick line work that stamp printing adds to a piece. I tend to enjoy shapes that are more blunt rather than extremely detailed.