Mauka to Makai: Hawaiian Quilts and the Ecology of the Islands edited by Marenka Thompson-Odlum This group of essays is a companion to a commissioned collection of fifteen Hawaiian quilts at the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford in the UK. In this book editor Marenka Thompson-Odlum opens with narratives from each of the collective …
Read More »Queering Felt with Mixed Media Interjections by Eli West
June 27, 2025Colorful, garish, and joyful worlds made primarily from fiber and mixed media are at the center of my work. I utilize a variety of needle and wet felting techniques, which allows me to produce unique textured painterly images with a high degree of precision and detail, often coupled with mixed media elements to create sculpture …
Read More »Textiles on Film by Becky Peterson Take a moment to look at the cover of Becky Peterson’s book, Textiles on Film. One man watches as another crochets an object that has been tinted pink, the only spot of color in the sepia-toned image. Would it surprise you to learn that this is an image of …
Read More »Felting: Wet & Dry, Spring 2025 Journal, Out Now!
May 12, 2025Surface Design Association is excited to announce Felting: Wet & Dry, our Spring 2025 edition of Surface Design Journal. This issue of Surface Design Journal highlights the material and cultural qualities of wool and the practice of felting across the world…It would seem that no matter where you are located in the world, wool and …
Read More »Nature’s Colorways: Conjuring the Chemistry and Culture of Natural Dyes edited by Linda Ligon and Anne Merrow Nature’s Colorways appears to be a spin-off (no pun intended) of The Long Thread Podcast, hosted by editors Linda Ligon and Anne Merrow. It offers brief, succinct and inviting views into the dye research and practices of many …
Read More »SDA Book Club: Your Brain on Art reviewed by Vivien Zepf
April 4, 2025Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross As I type the word “neuroarts” into my computer, auto-correct underlines the word, suggesting that I’ve made an error. I haven’t. My computer has. Neuroarts is a relatively recently coined term and a broad label describing the burgeoning scientific field …
Read More »The Valkyries’ Loom: The Archaeology of Cloth Production and Female Power in the North Atlantic by Michele Hayeur Smith This work, based on research funded by the National Science Foundation’s 9 NSF Arctic Social Sciences Program might, at first perusal, seem to have predominantly a niche appeal, but as an interdisciplinary study, it is much …
Read More »SDA’s Award of Excellence
February 28, 2025SDA is committed to supporting the efforts of community members to realize their creative goals and positively impact the world of textile and fiber art. SDA’s Grants & Awards program provides an array of opportunities to support members as they demonstrate excellence in the studio and in exhibitions, engage in professional development, organize events, and …
Read More »SDA Book Club: Fashion & Motherhood reviewed by Vivien Zepf
February 7, 2025Fashion & Motherhood: Image, Material, Identity edited by Laura Snelgrove In 1976, Adrienne Rich published Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution, ushering in motherhood studies as a field of academic inquiry. At the time, it was provocative to consider something perceived as “natural” as worthy of critical analysis, but the past decades have …
Read More »SDA Book Club: The Mushroom Color Atlas reviewed by Lauren Sinner
January 10, 2025The Mushroom Color Atlas: A Guide to Dyes and Pigments Made from Fungi by Julie Beeler As someone who is well versed in natural dyeing, mushroom dyes and pigments are still such a wonder and mystery to me. Every time I’ve talked with author Julie Beeler about mushroom dyeing, it opens up a whole new …
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