Laura Gaskin
Fairview, NC | Exhibiting Since 2011
I make embroidery quilts inspired by the color and imagery of the Blue Ridge landscape outside my home. The light, the seasons, the plants and animals found outdoors, along with the bits and pieces that I bring indoors, become the subjects of my designs. I use an embroidery technique of my own. First, I draw my design onto Penelope canvas as a simple outline drawing. Next, I paint with stitches, filling in color and shading with cotton floss, going over the same area three times or more to build depth of color. When the needlework is finished, I design a quilt to frame and extend the scene using my hand-dyed cotton fabrics. Finally, I quilt it onto cotton batting. This process evolved over years of working with cloth. I grew up watching the women in my family sew, knit, quilt, and embroider. I learned those skills from them, and I learned from their example that needlework can produce beautiful works of art from common materials.