Fabulous Fiberworks, Hilary Hutchinson Grant

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I am a lover of fiber and the fabulous ways one can work those fibers by felting, spinning, knitting, weaving and dying...I do them all.

For years friends and family have been telling me I should sell my knitted lace shawls and scarves. I couldn't imagine that because of the amount of time it took me to knit a scarf (weeks). I would have to charge hundreds of dollars for it and no one, I imagined, would pay that much for a scarf. Then, I discovered felting and realized that I could make beautiful scarves in a reasonable amount of time to be able to sell them at an affordable price.

I absolutely love felting. One can do so much with felt. You can make anything from the most delicate cobweb scarf to heavy duty industrial felt used in furniture and flooring. I like the physical labor involved in it, I stand and rub and roll the bundle of fiber to turn it into felt. I love the touch and variety of the different fibers. I love their brilliant and vibrant colors. I love the fact that you never know exactly what you'll produce because the fibers act differently with every variation in your technique. I love that this is an ancient art form that is at the same time decorative but very functional. I especially love the fact that felting is eco friendly...I use natural fibers like wool and silk and soap and water...that's it. The simplicity of felting is so intriguing. How one can produce such beautiful pieces of art with the simplest of techniques never ceases to amaze me. I just LOVE it!!!