HG handmade - Heike Gerbig

http://gerdiary.blogspot.com

I´m a writer who some years back started turning textile artist. Being used to weaving words and embroider them over and over, this step turned out to be an easy and very consistent one.

Not surprisingly, there are quite a lot of words to be found in my textile and mixed-media work - machine stitched, hand embroidered, taken from old books...

So, I still tell stories –  to myself, in the first place - but I´d be glad if you can hear them, too…

Artist's statement:  I aim at creating textile pieces and mixed-media artwork that might have a calming quality, being interesting nevertheless, informative, and inspiring - each of them is one-of-a-kind...

Location:  Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Online shops:  

   HGhandmade (Etsy)
   hghandmade (Big Cartel)

Blog:  gerdiary

Languages spoken:  English, German

Stitched and Mixed Media by Heike Gerbig

Tags:  Stitched stories, mixed media artwork, freehand embroidery, textile creatures, textile jewelry, art to wear

LaTouchables

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaTouchables

I design mostly body adornment for the modern woman of any age. Much of my work is inspired by nature, history, and culture. I want to create things that are affordable, and become a natural part of the daily wardrobe. Color, texture, wearability...this all plays a role in how it goes in the studio, and of course intuition plays a huge role. That's why most everything is OOAK. (One of a kind)

I like to use vintage and antique cloths in my pieces along with buttons, and beads from around the world. I was lucky to get some Bedouin embroidery dating back from the mid-20th-century, and earlier. My work is always in a process of growth. There are techniques to improve on, designs that architectually need brain-storming, from idea to finished piece, while still keeping the integrity of the original impulse.

I get emotional about hand-stitching, stains, signs of the human touch, beautiful worn textures, and quality. This means I love materials like silk, cotton, linen, bakelite, horn, mudcloth... and I am continually searching, experimenting, and opening up to the new. I see it as a long-term love-affair with developing a soft-sculpture body adornment that crosses genres. My hope is to take the raw materials and make something worthy of showing off their beauty, whether they are a hundred years old or straight off the bolt.

In the long run, I'd like to have a broader audience, and a group of fellow fiber-addicts to get that community dynamic. Of course I'd like to sell more and know that something I make will be worn by someone somewhere. This gives me the impetus to create more, and thus refine my skills.

I'm glad to have found TAFA with the chance to make new friends and contacts.

Location: Germany, Europe
Online shop: LaTouchables
Blog: latouchablesbagsandthings
Languages spoken: English, German

Adornment for the woman of the modern age by LaTouchables.

Tags: body adornment, necklace, africa, levantine, vintage, antique, tribal, cuff, cloth, bead