Craft Chronicles
bySure, rhododendron leaves may look verdant and waxy. But when boiled in an iron kettle, the leaves dye wool a steely shade of gray….
Fiber
Weaving the Fabric of a Homesteader’s Lifestyle
byIn farming years, five years can be a flash in the pan. But Courtney LaCaria, who started working her homestead with her husband five…
Lungwort in the Cauldron and Other Sustainable Concepts
byLynne Noble agrees that Lobaria pulmonaria (aka tree lungwort) is a tad homely. A species of lichen usually found in humid old-growth forests, this…
She Felt Her Way into Fiber Art
byArtist Tracey McCracken Palmer, who grew up in Western North Carolina, has drawn and painted for as long as she can remember. But, she…
Imagine Dragons Riding on Your Hip or Circling Your Waist
byLyn Lyndall makes it possible to keep a pet dragon by your side. The artist’s hand-tooled leather bags are sculpted with the bodies of…
20 Years, 20,000 Square Feet, One Big Key to Success
byThe F.W. Woolworth building, located at the corner of Haywood Street and Battery Park in downtown Asheville, was constructed in 1938 and has since…
Making (Negative) Space for Contemporary Quilting
byThis year, the Western North Carolina Quilters Guild will celebrate its 40th birthday. And, like anyone blowing out the candles on their “Big Four-O,”…
Putting the Factory Back on Factory Hill
byOne summer during college, Leigh Anne Hilbert worked the graveyard shift at a Hanes factory in Galax, Virginia. From seven at night to seven…
The Secret to Controlling a Lack of Control
by“When I was nine years old I had a brain tumor,” reveals multimedia artist Molly Sawyer, who has also endured breast cancer and undergone…
Nearly Out of Buttons But Still Full of Ideas
by“My hands are always doing something,” says Barbara Bryan — sewer, knitter, weaver, spinner, and quilter, just to name a few of the craft…