Sheila H. Rauen

Change your cover photo
Upload
sheila
Change your cover photo
FiberAmewsings
This user account status is Approved

This user has not added any information to their profile yet.

short bio here

I love to draw and paint, and I'm crazy about fabrics! This has been going on for as long as I can remember. It's such a thrill to be able to combine all of these things together to make my fabric art.

Knoxville
TN

I've been sewing since childhood and I majored in painting and drawing in college. After many years of trying different mediums and techniques, I've developed my own approach to making art. Combining a love of sewing, fabrics, paints, threads, and fibers is a constant source of inspiration. It's my way of continuing the drawing and painting I began years ago.

My sewing machine is essential to the techniques I use so extensively. These include applique, free motion embroidery, free motion quilting, machine needle felting, and machine couching of yarns and fibers. I use a Bernina Artista 630 sewing machine. It has wonderful attachments that make the free motion stitching much easier and allows for the needle felting and free motion couching.

I work primarily with cottons, wools, and silks.

Most of my work is framed behind glass. I hand sew the quilt to acid free mat board and my framer uses spacers with the frame to insure that the fabric does not touch the glass. Larger pieces are not framed, but they have a sleeve at the top on the back that enables the piece to be hung with a wooden slat or curtain type rod.

My inspirations come from everywhere. I keep a sketchbook/journal with drawings, phrases, etc. that I want to remember as resource material. I am always reading books and magazines on a wide variety of topics from art history to books on animals, flowers, embroidery, etc. Sometimes a word or phrase will come to mind first. Other times, the image pops into my head before the title. Though I'm known for my cats, I also enjoy other subjects in my work including sheep, dogs, rabbits, birds, people, etc. They all represent human emotions so the facial expressions are very important.

I have a BFA in drawing and painting and an MS in Art Education. After a brief stint as an art teacher in the schools, I decided to focus on stuio art. I do enjoy demonstrating and lecturing. It's fun to inspire others to try new techniques and to understand more about fiber art.

I've been a spokesperson for different art supply manufacturers at trade shows and on several television shows. I've also designed many projects for magazines. This led to the publication of my books with Martingale & Company. They are "Sassy Cats- Purrfect Crafts Projects" and "A Year of Cats...in Hats! - Crafts to Make You Smile". I've designed two fabric lines with Clothworks Fabrics in Seattle, WA. The first was "Bloomin' Birds" and the current line is "Floral Whimsies". I am pursuing other licensing opportunities, new book proposals, etc. I am working on writing and illustrating children's books. My little quilts would be ideal for children's book illustrations.

I'm represented by Southern Highlands Craft Guild, Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, and Bennett Galleries in Knoxville, TN. I hope you enjoy my work and I look forward to meeting you at future Craft Guild events, etc.!

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.