Susan J Lapham

Vienna, Virginia USA

My grandmother taught me to sew on an old Kenmore when she came to live with us in Carthage. I was 10 and soon was not only sewing clothes but creating all sorts of projects. On daily walks though the old cities of Rabat, Carthage, Amman and Jerusalem, I watched glassblowers, rug weavers, basket makers, tile workers, and wood carvers create their magic. Influenced by these makers and the art they created, I began my own creative journey that ultimately led me to quilting.

In 2016 I took a minimalist approach to making art quilts. I now use just a few tools — hand-dyed cotton, a rotary cutter and mat, straight stitch sewing machine, thread and the design wall. I begin with black strings to contain a space on the design wall, then cut the fabric to fill that space. I work improvisationally bouncing from right brain to left brain as I create then engineer the piece. I find great delight in working larger than life. I’m often up on the ladder or crouching on the floor to create pieces that are 7 or 8 feet square. Then the pieced top goes downstairs to the longarm shop where my husband spends long hours quilting straight lines before I face each piece.