I have two ways of working.
The first one is when I am experimenting with different works or products. I learn by trying something, revamping and reimagining repeatedly, and then finally getting something I like.
My second mode of operating is “sweatshop” production. I set the music up loud (really, really loud) and (not literally) lock myself in one or the other of my studios to work, work, and work some more. I’ll sometimes take a break to eat. Sometimes this lasts for weeks….. exhausting, but quite productive.
On this page, I will feature periodically what it is I am working on. So stay tuned for updates!
January 2024
About a year ago I took a trip with a friend to the very north of Norway, right over the top, near to the border with Russia. Sounds lovely you might say. Well, given that it was November and the amount of daylight was about three hours total, I’d classify it more as an adventure!! As everyone knows, I do enjoy an adventure, but the lack of daylight left me with massive amounts of downtime. What does this have to do with my studio?? On that trip I met two interesting people from Australia, Nadine and Zan, who were both avid knitters. Really!! And spectacularly talented. Had I brought any knitting along with me on this trip? NO…..what was I thinking?
At my first opportunity (i.e., the nearest town), I hastily found the nearest knitting store and bought beautiful yarn and knitting needles. Most of the yarn was from Norway (wool), but some of the yarn was wool from Britain and then hand dyed in Norway. One particularly beautiful batch had been hand dyed in the artist’s kitchen sink!! So now I was equipped, but what to make. Well, my new Australian friends were knitting wool hats. They helpfully told me how many stitches to cast on and about when to decrease in order to form the top. So, away I went.
Fourteen months later I am addicted to knitting hats! This time of year is well suited to knitting with wool. I curl up on one of the window seats in my textile studio and knit away the afternoon. I sold quite a few hats this past season so I am now restocking my inventory for next fall. I am using a very basic pattern mostly because the yarn is so beautiful that a simple pattern shows off the yarn best. Not all my hats are from Norwegian wool. Some are made from yarn I had on hand, some of the yarn I picked up on my other travels, and some I got here locally in Chincoteague.
September 2023
Just a quick look at what I’ve been working on.
Clothesline bowls are one of my most popular items and totally fun to make. An added bonus is that they use up scraps of material left over from other projects. It takes a little bit of creativity in order for them to turn out cool looking. The wrong colored fabric placed incorrectly can make a colorful bowl become “less than optimal.” Unfortunately, because I wrap the clothesline totally before I start sewing, I don’t know if the colors will line up the way I envision them until the bowl is formed. A little chancy but kind of exciting!
The process is quite simple. Cotton clothesline is wrapped with scraps of material. A flat coil is formed at one end. Zig-zag stitching is used to hold each “loop” in place. The tricky part is the tension….too loose and the bowl won’t hold its shape….too tight and the bowl warps.
I measure the clothesline before wrapping it in fabric…. for sizing/pricing purposes. For example, my small bowls have between 10 and 15 feet of clothesline, medium bowls use 15-20 feet, and so on. My largest size (XL) uses over 50 feet. The extra large sizes are so fun to make and quite challenging both in terms of tension and fabric choices.
I have made and sold hundreds of bowls, each one unique in both color and shape. It’s still a challenge and still exciting to see the finished product.
Check out my bowls at ChincoCool. If you would like specific colors or sizes, send me an email at hilary@hilaryquinnstudio.com. I really enjoy working with customers to individualize products.