SDA Book Club: The Alphabet of Expectations: An ABC Primer for Today’s Girl by Kachina Leigh, interviewed by Vivien Zepf Presented with support from the Peters Valley School of Craft Words matter. We’ve all witnessed or experienced the positive and negative power of language, labels, implications, connotations, and/or assumptions. In my personal childhood experience, taunts …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce Traditions and Techniques in Lace, our Spring 2026 edition of Surface Design Journal.  “Exploring vast historical and material contexts, our Traditions & Techniques journals are always some of our most inspiring issues. Lace is no exception. The history of lace is one rich in luxury, ornamentation and skill. …

I have a favorite t-shirt, which reads “Name Five Women Artists.” A lot of people have risen to the challenge, invariably naming Georgia O’Keefe and Frida Kahlo, both of whom have arrived at a place of pop culture familiarity, both painters. Louise Bourgeois’ name rarely comes up, perhaps because images of her work aren’t as …

Textile Design Theory in the Making by Elaine Igoe I like the idea of a textile designer as a translator. Designers ask questions and respond to problems. They gather, reflect upon and respond to concepts as varied as zeitgeist and personal experience, function, fashion and philosophy. In the process, they “interpret and tidy images, words, …

Gathering Colour: Foraging Magic & Making Art from the World Around You Paperback by Caitlin Ffrench  With a book as enthusiastic as this one, I have considered some criteria regarding intent and results. Does the book inspire? Does it enlighten and inform? Finally, is it entertaining? There are many books published on textile crafting and …

Explorations with Collage! Merging Photographs, Paper and Fiber by Wen Redmond Before reviewing Wen Redmond’s second book (her first being Digital Fiber Art), I knew her only by name. Now, nearly 200 pages later, I am wowed by the depth and character of her explorations. She offers so many choices, the reader will find themselves …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce Traditions and Persistence, our Winter 2025 edition of Surface Design Journal. “This issue of Surface Design Journal is dedicated to Latinx writers and artists from the Americas or, as it conventionally referred to: Latin America, which is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the planet. Uneasily, …

Thank you to everyone who made this year at SDA possible! We are fortunate to have such passionate staff, board, volunteers, committees, and members who continually help us grow, learn, and expand. Here’s a look back at some highlights from SDA for 2025, and we can’t wait to see what comes next in 2026!  All …

Thank you readers for another lovely year of SDA’s Book Club! In 2025 we had eleven great reviews by Faith Hagenhofer, Vivien Zepf, and Lauren Sinner. We’re really excited about the lineup we have coming in 2026 and hope you keep reading. Here’s a combined list of all of our reviews from the year in …

Rag Manifesto: Making, folklore and community by Rachael Matthews On the last page of Rag Manifesto, Rachael Matthews writes “If we lose touch with the earth due to the… taboo over the use of trashed material, the rag pile becomes an alternative space to open our heads… Perhaps in some instances, rag could be the …