iKnitQuiltSew

My name is Sandi Levy; they tell me I am a fiber artist. I have a very difficult time owning that term. Although I understand that what I do takes a modicum of creative ability, I have trouble with the “artist” part of the phrase. Perhaps ‘fiber obsessive’ would work better!

 

My mediums are yarn and fabric, occasionally both at the same time.  My great-grandmother and grandmother taught me to knit when I was perhaps 5.  In fact, to this day, I knit on my grandmother’s needles! I started making fabric toys, specifically rag dolls and teddy bears, when I became ‘mom’ and finances prohibited store-bought toys for my kids.

 

I didn’t begin quilting until the last of my children was nearly grown.  I didn’t have a clue how to make a quilt, but was driven to learn.  The internet didn’t exist back then, so it was the school of trial and error and whatever books I could find at the local library.

 

I’ve always, always, quilted by hand.  It’s the tedious, wonderful part of making my quilts when they come to life.  My quilting is never regular or repetitive; it serves to bring up dimensions and textures, and is probably my favorite part of the entire process.

 

My dolls have taken on a life of their own.  While I think I am making toys, the great majority of my dolls have been purchased by adults for themselves or other adults.  I have a friend, who is a seasoned art collector, who tells me I’ve broken into the “folk art market.”  There’s that word again…

 

Until February of 2010, all of the things I made were for practical purposes or for gifts.  After years of hearing, “you should sell these,” I finally took the plunge and opened a shop on the internet.  In just two short years, I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have a small and encouraging following that does nothing but make me even more compulsive to pursue what I truly love.

 

I quilt on a handmade quilt frame, lovingly designed and built by my amazing husband after he got tired of watching me stabilize quilts under furniture in the middle of the living room!  Our children are grown and scattered all over the country and our grandchildren are following suit.  We share our home these days with my family of handmade toys and quilts and a 9-pound mutt named Rose.

Tags: art, artisan, contributor, editor, handcrafted, Handmade, Handmade Artists, handsewn, knitt, knitting, quilting, sewing

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