Welcome...
There has never been a time in my life when I wasn't knitting or sewing. I learned those first lessons from my grandmother when I was too young to recall a beginning. It just became a part of my descriptive adjectives: brown hair, green eyes, fiber addict. I love how color and texture combine to not only create beauty, but function. Knitting, seems magical to me. Hooking fuels my imagination. The ability to create something from nothing is inspiring. That I can sit with a ball of string or small bits of discarded fabrics and turn them into pieces that provide beauty, warmth, and usefulness all at once is awing to me. Treasure hunting for antique and vintage textiles that I can incorporate in to my work, transform in to a new piece for today, is heart warming. Manipulating and combining my textiles with my experience in costuming, papercraft, and surface design is a never ending and enthralling pursuit. My aesthetic is an amalgam of my bohemian and vintage sensibilities with a good dose of classic design. Truly, the thrill is in knowing that I have made something real that is going out into the world to someone real. That is the true joy of an artisan and my guilty pleasure.
As with my fibers, I'm also addicted to my planet (air and water, good!) and my communities (clients, neighbors, virtual cohorts, brick and mortar chums, and my imaginary friends). To that end, I source my materials to be organic, fair trade, recycled, vintage, and/or re-purposed. Essentially I seek to create beautiful pieces for my clients in a way that is kind and respectful to our environment and communities, while fulfilling my own creative vision. At the end of the day, if I can send a little piece of handmade goodness out into the world, I consider it a job well done and a job well worth doing, at that.
Thank you and enjoy-
Jess
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
George Bernard Shaw
I began my working life as a costumer, art teacher, and paper and fiber artist, retailing my handcrafts in boutiques throughout New England. My interest in the rich world of decorative techniques led to my authoring of two books: The Paper Jewelry Book and The Handcrafter's Recipe Book(Quarry Books). A fork in the road, a love of natural materials, and a series of coincidences drew me into the field of floral design. As fate would have it, I founded a special events floral studio and was the owner/designer for 16 years. My designs were regularly featured in such periodicals as Elegant Weddings, Wedding Style, The Boston Globe Wedding Magazine, LaBella Bride, and the Knot, among others, and in 2005 my most recent book, Quick and Easy Flower Design(Quarry Books) was released. My floral studio was winner of Boston magazine's 2008 Best of Boston Home for Flowers, North and was a 2007 and 2008/9 Best of The Knot pick. Appearing on The Victory Garden for WGBH, Boston's public television station was an additional thrill.
My life's come full circle, as I delve back into my first love--fibers and textiles of all kinds. My studio, always an artistic haven for me, is now filled with heavenly textile inspiration, and I look forward to continuing my creative pursuits and expression in this medium. In addition to this web site, my work can be found at Yeiser Art Center, Faire Loise of Seco Pearl in Taos, NM, Parker Brown Textiles in Rockport, Ma, IndieArtisans.com, Etsy, and Brood on Etsy. And, of course, you can follow me on Peck: the blog, and Facebook, too.
My Favorites...
There are a myriad of talented people out there, and I love telling you about them. My list of favorite people is but a sampling, but it's a place to get started. Go check them out. Spend some time to look around.
