FABRIC

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FABRIC

Jan Seipel

Jan Seipel began her professional career in 1968 when she purchased the Old Canal General Store at 20 North High St. in Waterville, remodeled it, and founded The Emporium, a women’s clothing store. She then became an Interior Decorator with the purchase of Riverton Interiors in which she is still active. During this period with the help of her husband, she was instrumental in transforming the Principal Business Enterprises factory on Farnsworth Rd. into the Peddlers’ Alley Mall where she established Woodhouse Clothier, a men’s and ladies’ clothing store along with other shops which included a bath shop, shoe store a gift shop and a breakfast/lunch café called the Alley café. Since her “semi-retirement” she has devoted much of her time (when she is not with her grandchildren) into knitting, painting and designing jewelry. All of Jan’s designs are made with love.

She has lived in the Waterville area with her husband, Ferd, since 1963, has three children and 8 grandchildren.

Jill Towery/Salmagundi

Jill began the Salmagundi company by using upholstery samples and “short ends”, which are the leftovers from a piece of furniture, to create one-of-a-kind handbags and throws. Because there are only small pieces in “short ends”, each bag or throw will be unique. The pieces are completed by experienced sewers and upholsterers.

Jill was born and raised in Marion, Ohio. She is married with three sons and two dogs. She used to be a bank executive for Bank of America, but her passion for art led her to begin creating the Salmagundi line.

Jill lives in a part of the country that has a rich heritage in both furniture and textile manufacturing. Although most of these companies have moved their operations overseas, primarily to Asia, South America and Mexico, a few still remain in this area.

Joan Rigal

“The touch of fabric - its color and forgiving nature - has been a love of mine since I began working with it many years ago. It seemed natural to go from clothing to quilts to art quilts as I grew and matured in my life. Fiber is a wonderful and natural way to express what is deep within oneself - especially a woman - a wife – mother – a nurturer of the spirit. To cultivate the artist within has been exhilarating and makes me happy. I am happiest when I am working in my studio alone with music, feeling and thinking about design and color – then crafting my creation using my whole being to make a single art quilt.”A Brief History of the Art QuiltThe art quilt movement grew out of a resurgent interest in handcrafts that began in the 1960’s. Young people, rebelling against war and modern technology, sought meaningful alternatives to the society they perceived as spiritually bereft and morally corrupt. In the years preceding the Bicentennial, feminists reclaimed the art of quiltmaking, an overlooked and undervalued contribution of the nation’s foremothers.For over 100 years, quiltmakers had simply replicated the established designs of starts, baskets, and pinwheels, among others, but in the late ‘50s and ‘60s a handful of pioneering artists began to see the quilt as a place to experiment with color and design. These contemporary quilts slowly began to receive attention as valid means of creative expression, and in 1971 the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York presented an exhibition that launched the art quilt into the national consciousness. ABSTRACT DESIGN IN AMERICAN QUILTS showcased quilts based strictly on their visual impact, and presented them as works of fine art: hung on the walls like paintings: with museum labels offering materials used, place of origin, and date, and presented without historical context. The show’s curators placed color, line and pattern over historical or geographic significance. The show was well received by critics and the public alike. As a result, many women, and a few men, decided to try their hands at quiltmaking, and quilt guilds sprang up across the country, providing an outlet for contemporary quiltmakers to share their knowledge and love of the medium.By 1979 QUILT NATIONAL became the first ongoing juried exhibition of art quilts. Originating at the Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio, the show has become one of the most important forums for the art quilt, and draws submissions and audiences from all over the world. Since then, other major juried exhibitions, countless smaller shows, and the accessioning of art quilt into the permanent collections of major museums have established a firm place for contemporary quilts in the art world.For all their experimentation and boundary-pushing, it’s not unusual for art quilts to pay homage to the quiltmaking traditions that came before them. Long established patterns and quilt blocks are commonly reinvented in contemporary quilts. Joan Rigal recognizes the importance of quilt history, and while her works have evolved from these traditional principles and techniques, the enduring strength of design found in Amish quilts has always influenced her art. “From the beginning of my quiltmaking, I loved the solid colors and analogous color scheme of Amish quilts that seem passionate and so alive…Recently, I’ve returned to the direct design of Amish quilts and enjoy making contemporary adaptations of them by machine quilting and the use of many colorful threads.”

Amy Fell

Amy received a bachelors and masters degree in art education from the University of Toledo. She taught elementary and middle school art in the Northwood Local Schools for 14 years. She also taught art to children at many local art institutions in the Toledo area on weekends and during the summer. Amy left teaching after twenty years and published a children's magazine about art in 1998 to the present. It is called “ARTaFacts Magazine.”

She has volunteered for numerous organizations & activities in the Toledo area over the years.

She is currently am pursuing her own interests in fiber arts. Amy is having fun experimenting with what she can do with painting, dyeing and fusing fabrics. Some of her art work is created by embellishing fabrics with a variety of mixed media, and then the fabric is fused into a shape. Additional forms are stitched or adhered.

Awards & Shows:

NW Ohio Outstanding Art Teacher 1993

Ohio Art Education Association Artist Who Teach Exhibits 2000-2011

MVCD “Through Women’s Eyes Fesitval and Forum of the Arts” 2001

Toledo Weaver's Guild Fiber Art Show Award 2008

Perrysburg Arts Council Fiber Art Exhibit 2011

Jeanie Wozniak

After years of juggling family life and working outside of the house, early retirement finally arrived for Jeanie Wozniak. Jeanie resides downriver from the gallery in Perrysburg, Ohio. She retired from teaching as a special needs instructor and former speech pathologist. She delights n creating useful and decorative fabric baskets, bowls, and clutch bags in whimsical and colorful combinations. Jeannie's designs for each are unique and one of a kind! Her projects are embellished with buttons and ribbons. She likes to dream up new ideas and create specialness with her sewing and quilting. By engaging in this art form, she has fun and at the same time, shares with others who appreciate the hand created item for its function, feeling and finished value. Jeanie is married to Dave and has two children, Jay and Abby.