Posted on December 10, 2022December 21, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Ineke Thomas

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Ineke (pronounced Ee-ni-ka) is a self-taught artist who uses irregular fibers and found objects in her abstract wall art, creating a narrative wherein nature and man’s discards take on a second life.

Years of quilt making allowed Ineke to look at fibers in new ways. “Fiber art plus” as she puts it, as she is known to use scrap wire, pottery shards, buttons, beads, twigs, kimono and tie silks, netted onion bags and felted wool.

As much as possible, she uses invisible thread rather than glue. One of Ineke’s favorite materials to incorporate into her work is wormy chestnut bark, reclaimed mateerial dating back to the 1920s that she has carefully washed, dried and polyurethaned.

In her opinion, this type of backdrop serves her nature inspired pieces in a way man-made materials cannot. The results are stunning, layered pieces that draw the viewer in closer to appreciate the detail as well as the story told by the larger work.

About Ineke Thomas

Ineke has lived in Blowing Rock, North Carolina since 1986 where she has exhibited her work at BRAHM (Blowing Rock Arts and History Museum}, the Halpert Biennial Exhibit, Blowing Rock Historical Society’s Artists at Edgewood Cottage and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

A native of Holland, she spent her formative years on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia and credits her love of nature to her years spent on a rubber plantation there. Ineke is a graduate of UNC Greensboro with a BA in German and French Education. She is an avid gardener, mother of two and grandmother of four.

“Success to me means living with a work for weeks while challenging my ability to manipulate the materials and process.” – Ineke Thomas

Posted on March 29, 2022October 17, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Sheridan Watkins

PerennialPeaces, Winston Salem, North Carolina

Think about your most lightweight pair of earrings…these are probably lighter than that! All earrings are made from repurposed fabric and crafted into unorthodox floral shapes, patterns and colors!

Each pair features fun textiles and incorporates wire, resin and a beaded center! You will get questions about where you got your earrings so be prepared :

They feature surgical steel ear posts. These handmade pieces may feature slight imperfections, variations or inconsistencies that in no way affect their functionality.

Maybe you’d like a smaller or bigger size or something created from a favorite shirt or dress. Custom orders available. Please contact us for more information.

About Sheridan Watkins

Sheridan says, “Growing up, I’ve always strived to be different. Not to bring attention to myself but to create my own identity that wasn’t defined by anyone else. This worked for and against me. I can remember starting some trends, but I also remember wishing the day would speed up so I could get home because my outfit choice was not a hit with peers that day.

And then you grow up and don’t even realize the emotional baggage you’ve carried with you into adulthood. I found myself censoring parts of me in fear of what others thought. And I didn’t like that…So I went back to what lit me up as an adolescent…creating something different.

Now I create jewelry that gives you a way to express yourself. So keep shining because you can only be who you are!”

In a world where we may feel like we don’t have control, hold onto the fact that you actually do.

Posted on January 17, 2022February 17, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Marilyn Yvonne Gore

Marilyn Yvonne Gore

Stitching and Stirring, Charlotte, North Carolina

A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars.
Marilyn Yvonne Gore

Stitching and Stirring is dedicated to art and preservation of quilts that represent African American culture and history.

Marilyn is a life-long quilter who has stitched literally hundreds of quilts using traditional, paper-piecing, and crazy quilting techniques in her hand-quilted creations.

She uses 100% cotton fabrics. Most of her quilts are scrap quilts made with African-inspired fabrics, batiks, and leftover fabrics from other projects.

Her purpose is to bring joy not only to herself but to others… one beautiful quilt at a time!

Featured products

Custom orders available. Please contact us for more information

About Marilyn Gore

Marilyn has been sewing and quilting since the age of 14. Born and raised in the rural farming community of Bolivia, North Carolina, sewing and quilting were necessities. Marilyn’s first sewing experience was helping her mother make woven and tied floor rugs from feed sacks and tobacco twine. Her mother, Mattie Pearl, also taught Marilyn how to embroider and decorate homemade pillowcases.

Home economics was a required part of Marilyn’s high school education, and it was there that she learned to construct garments. Under the tutelage of Lizzie Mae Mitchell, home economics teacher at Southport – Brunswick County High School, she constructed her first garment. Scraps from this garment were used to make an eight-pointed star quilt. With the help of her mother, Marilyn made her second quilt, a lone star, from scraps of polyester fabrics.

She graduated from Bennett College with a degree in home economics, clothing, and textiles. With the encouragement of Professor Louise G. Streat, she continued her studies at Howard University, Washington, DC. Marilyn’s masters thesis centered on a historical study of North Carolina quilt-making.

Marilyn retired from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in 2007. Her career — 19 years with the University of the District of Columbia and 12 years here in North Carolina — were very rewarding to her. She served in several national executive board positions with the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS), including as the 2004–2005 president.

She is a member of the Charlotte Quilters Guild and the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Quilting Ministry.

Custom orders available. Please contact us for more information.

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William F Minor

Mar 11, 2022

by William F Minor

First of all, I worked with Marilyn all those years at the UDC/CES. I loved the work Marilyn shared with the entire D.C. community throughout... view more

Posted on January 7, 2022September 2, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Mike Anderson

fiddlemakermike.com, Louisburg, North Carolina

Mike has been making fiddles for over 20 years and a woodworker since childhood. He loves music and has a passion to create!

The wood Mike uses, North Carolina red maple and Virginia red spruce, is cut and harvested locally by him.

It is stored and air dried for a minimum of four years before working the wood into a fiddle.

He uses traditional 400 year old handcrafted methods for building his beautiful instruments.

About Mike Anderson

Mike traces his interest in string instruments back to his childhood. His great-grandfather played the fiddle and his mother played classical music when he was a small child. “I heard so much violin music as a small child, I think it had an impact on me,” says Mike.

His interest in carving started at 5 years old with a bar of soap. Eventually wood became his material of choice and he took up making bowls and spoons. But he craved a challenge that would keep him striving and learning in his craft. Mike has been carving string instruments for decades now and he mentored with the late legendary luthier, Arthur Conner, of Copper Hill, VA.

Fiddlemaker Mike has a longstanding tradition of sharing in the love of music by giving away one of his handmade fiddles to a young North Carolinian between the ages of 10 and 17. The prize is awarded based on a 300-word essay submitted by each entrant. Two times he has given away two violins because sometimes the essays are so good, he can’t pick just one.

Custom orders available. Please contact us for more information.

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Posted on November 19, 2021February 17, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Linda Dease Smith

Fun and Funky Fabric Art, Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Linda Dease Smith sews with fabric and thread, by hand and machine, and often embellishes her pieces with beads, buttons, and found objects.

She enjoys creating her own designs and patterns, and each piece is one-of-a-kind.

She decided several years ago that, rather than buying new fabric, she would first use up the fabric that she has. She’s still working on it and actually enjoys the challenge of creating with what she has on hand.

Her interest in upcycling has also led to many fabulous thrift store finds she incorporates into her art.

About Linda Dease Smith

Linda has been creating with fabric since the 1970s when she moved to the North Carolina mountains. Even though she knew nothing about sewing or quilting, Linda decided to make a king-sized Bicentennial quilt. “What was I thinking?” she asked herself. It took several years, but she finally finished it. At about the same time, Linda finished three quilts that her great-grandmother had pieced, but never quilted. She was hooked! In fact, she has never stopped working with fabric and gets more excited about it every year. While her love of fabric has never waned, she’s continually looking for new items to make. Linda no longer makes bed quilts, but uses fabric to make anything else she can think of, including wall art, clothing, jewelry, and scarves. Linda’s latest passion is upcycling and repurposing clothing into wearable art.

Custom orders available. Please contact us for more information.

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Posted on April 29, 2021February 17, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Karen Casey and Arlen Custer

Karen Casey and Arlen Custer

Karen Casey Fused Glass Designs, Durham, North Carolina

Karen Casey and Arlen Custer are Durham, North Carolina, artists who have worked with glass for over 30 years.

They love color and interesting shapes for their glass pieces. You will find fused glass jewelry, hair accessories, vases, and dishes. Designs from elegant to wild!

They have specialized in fused glass for the last 15 years. Glass pieces are cut, designed, and fused in a kiln. Pieces that have a shape such as bowls and vases go in the kiln a second time to be slumped into shape.

A combination of dichroic glass and other fusible glass give their pieces a unique look and make each piece one-of-a-kind.

About Karen Casey

Karen is also the owner of The Artisan Market at 305 located in downtown Durham. She is excited to have a woman-owned business and appreciates Durham’s inclusive, welcoming, and diverse reputation. The storefront at 305 is the home for Karen’s art as well as around 40 other local artists from across North Carolina. In addition to being an artist, Karen is a speech language pathologist with the specialty of augmentative communication.

She is incredibly grateful that her husband, Arlen Custer, is also very artistic, handy and has enthusiastically joined in all her endeavors and provided hours of support.

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Posted on January 31, 2021December 15, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Frumet Raskin-Miller

Frumet Raskin-Miller

LateBloomerPottery, Durham, North Carolina

Favorite materials :
Stoneware clays
Food safe glazes/underglazes
Terra sigillata
Porcelain slips
Handmade stamps
Tools, tools and more tools

Favorite techniques:
Throwing on the pottery wheel, handbuilding and combining these techniques, to make all kinds of functional items.
Decorating by carving, slipping, resisting, painting, stamping and more, just adds to my delight in creating.

Favorite things to make:
A wide variety of items for the home, particularly beautiful, functional pottery used for cooking, baking, serving, eating and drinking.
Yarn bowls and buttons for those of us who knit and crochet.

And seasonal items such as Fall leaf platters and Christmas ornaments, as well as ritual items, such as Menorahs, Seder plates and Shabbat candle stick holders, have found their way into Frumet’s heart and hands!

About Frumet Raskin-Miller

Frumet came to this passion relatively late in life, after spending many years as an early childhood special educator, dance therapist and gestalt psychotherapist.

She began making pottery as a hobbyist in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2010, when she and her husband retired and moved to North Carolina, that she dove into the process. Soon, Frumet set up a small home studio, her “garagio,” where she could experiment and create functional pottery. When she had more pieces than she could store or give as gifts, Frumet ventured out into the world of craft shows, craft markets and online stores. LateBloomerPottery was born!

Frumet says, “It is important to me that my pottery is well-made and can stand up to the rigors of time and of use in a household. The curve of the bowl, the softness of a rim, the size and shape of a handle, the arch of a spout, the fit of a lid, are just some of the details that I consider as I work at my craft. In the end, I want people to enjoy looking at, holding and using the pottery that I have made and that they have brought into their lives!”

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Posted on September 10, 2020October 17, 2022 by Shokai Sinclair

Pam Washer

RagBags, Blowing Rock, North Carolina

All of Pam’s bags are one-of-a-kind — made without using patterns.

They are made on a 1958 Singer Featherweight sewing machine that belonged to her husband’s grandmother. She’s made over 3,500 bags on this machine!

Most of the embellishments on Pam’s bags are also repurposed — items such as broken jewelry, vintage buttons, and various decorator tassels and trims.

Pam makes custom bags to order, using any material you might be interested in repurposing. Contact us for details on custom orders.

About Pam Washer

Pam came to Appalachian State University from Shelby, North Carolina, in the late 1970’s, and never left! She has lived in Blowing Rock for over 35 years and started RagBags in 2005. It all began when a friend of hers wanted her to come up with something to sell in a craft sale she was having. She had never done anything like that before but she saw an article in a magazine about how to repurpose wool sweaters into handbags. She had always liked the idea of repurposing and recycling so she decided to give it a try. She sold almost every bag she made for that sale and was hooked!

Now, RagBags’ handbags are made from a variety of materials — whatever happens to find her! This includes discontinued decorator fabric samples, book covers, carpet samples, game boards, VHS tape, and many others!

Pam’s work may be seen at Monkee’s of Blowing Rock, Blue Ridge Artisan Guild gallery in Wilkesboro, Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis, Art on the Mountain in West Jefferson, and other seasonal events.

Custom orders available. Please contact us for more information.

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Posted on July 15, 2020February 17, 2022 by Lauren Sinclair

Julie Ottesen

Artisan

In memoriam

Belle Port Baskets, Belhaven and Traphill, North Carolina

To honor the late Julie Ottesen, for every purchase of her baskets of $150 or more, 10% of the proceeds will be donated to Trees for a Change.

About Julie Ottesen

Shortly after moving to North Carolina in 1987 and building her dream home on Pungo Creek, Julie became fascinated with how baskets could be crafted for a variety of purposes. After immersing herself in the basket-making traditions of the United States through the North Carolina Basket Association, she received a grant to study with Connie and Tom McColley, the renowned Weavers of Wood from West Virginia, where she learned to select her sapling tree, split the wood, hand carve the handle and make her own stakes and caning to create a basket on her own from nature. She also received a grant to study Nantucket Basketry with a very well known Nantucket artist. She also was invited to become a member of The Southern Highlands Craft Guild. Julie—one of the first artisans to join NC Handmade—passed away on October 9, 2021.

Julie has exhibited with The Raleigh Womens Fine Arts Council at Meredith College, Raleigh, NC; Kirkland Art Center, Clinton, NY; Mattamuskeet Swan Days, Mattamuskeet, NC; Albemarle Craftsman’s Guild, Elizabeth City, NC; Bank of the Arts, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, New Bern, NC; Beaufort Arts Council, Washington, NC; Yadkin Valley Craft Guild, Elkin, NC; Wilkes Art Gallery, Wtilkesboro, NC and Southern Highlands Craft Show, Asheville, NC.

The artisan's process

Julie’s specialty was Nantucket basketry. Traditionally these are wood-bottomed baskets that are painstakingly woven on wood or cane stakes around a mold. It is a labor intensive process and can take two to four months to complete. The beauty of this style basket comes from the perfection in construction, weaving and finish. Her pieces range in size and detail, from tiny 2.5” baskets to purses with woven or wooden lids and scrimshaw detailing. These heirloom quality pieces become darker and more beautiful with age.

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Cindy Long

Artisan

Woven by Design, Boone, North Carolina

Cindy will exhibit some of her woven works in GreenHill Center for NC Art's upcoming WINTER SHOW invitational exhibition of contemporary NC artists from December 11, 2022—February 15, 2023 in Greensboro, NC.

Only plant-based fibers (no wools) are used, primarily rayon, which is a natural cellulose fiber known to have similar qualities to silk. Plant-based fibers wick heat away from the body instead of holding it in.

Cindy Long’s yarns are sourced from mills in the Carolinas, keeping remnant yarns out of the landfills. Each is chosen for its luxurious, soft feel that drapes so beautifully.

Wood buttons are sustainably made by the last wood button manufacturer in North America.

Infinity scarves can be unbuttoned and worn as a regular scarf.

About Cindy Long

Family lore has it that Cindy Long has played with string since the day she was born. Twenty years ago she saw a sign in a secondhand shop: “This funny-looking thing $50.00.” That funny-looking thing became her first loom, That is how Cindy first got hooked on weaving.

Today this weaver from North Carolina’s High Country creates unique woven pieces, many of the yarns coming from mills in the Carolinas. Cindy shares the joy of weaving through teaching and demonstrating, all while telling the stories of those fiber mills.

Each of Cindy’s pieces is one-of-a-kind. Her scarves, shawls, ponchos, and capes are “Woven by Design and Spirit Inspired.”

Cindy’s work may be seen at several galleries in the High Country, including Gallery of the Mountains at Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC; Rivercross, Valle Crucis, NC; and Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC. She also typically exhibits at Art in Autumn (the third Saturday in September), in Weaverville, NC, and at the Valle Country Fair (the third Saturday in October), in Valle Crucis, NC.

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Cindy Long

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Rain

Dec 13, 2021

by Rain

Fabulous Scarves

Cindy’s scarves are incredible! I’m proud to own several and love having them for all sorts of different outfits and occasions. They’re incredibly... view more

Ineke Thomas

Featured products

Reconstructed stripes quilt

Circles, squares and triangles quilt

Gold and silver necktie quilt

Necktie linings quilt

Pastel pink and blue all silk neckties quilt

Sample of custom quilted piece – small

Sample of custom quilted piece – large

About Ineke Thomas

Sheridan Watkins

Featured products

Single felt sunflower

Large felt rose

Individual felt rose – standard size

Cork textile necklace

Teal silk textile ring

Teal silk textile necklace

Kente textile ring

Kente textile necklace

Gingham pink, red and white ring

About Sheridan Watkins

Marilyn Yvonne Gore

Featured products

Paper-pieced stars quilted wall hanging

Orange suns and hearts quilted wall hanging

Lady with a bowl quilted wall hanging

Queen-size Arkansas Traveler scrappy quilt

King-size African Shadows quilt

King-size Pretty in Pink scrap quilt

King-size African scrap quilt in burgundy

King-size African scrap quilt in orange

About Marilyn Gore

Mike Anderson

Featured products

Fiddle no. 52, mermaid

Pocket or pochette fiddle no. 4

Viola no. 51

Fiddle no. 69 special scroll

Fiddle no. 36, 5-string

Fiddle no. 59 ol’ goat

Fiddle no. 66, scroll

Fiddle no. 35, guitar shape

Fiddle no. 70, dinosaur

Fiddle no. 68, scroll

Fiddle no. 63, eagle

Fiddle no. 67

About Mike Anderson

Linda Dease Smith

Featured products

Blue and green quilted geometric pattern wall hanging

Full moon quilted wall hanging

Batik leaves yellow and orange quilted wall hanging

Colorful geometric pattern wall hanging

Tree in winter quilted wall hanging

Colorful houses geometric quilted wall hanging

About Linda Dease Smith

Karen Casey and Arlen Custer

Featured products

Shimmering blue-green dichroic glass 3.5-inch barrette

Bright blue dichroic glass 4-inch barrette

Sparkling blues with wispy white overlay 4-inch barrette

Diamond-shape purple, blue and green dichroic glass pendant

Oval blue dichroic glass pendant

Red glass star ornament

Blue glass star Christmas ornament

Smoky blue with hint of purple 3.5-inch NON-dichroic glass barrette

Teal non-dichroic glass 3.5-inch barrette

Subtle mauve, brown and deep purple dichroic glass 3.25-inch barrette

Blues, gold and black textured dichroic glass 4-inch barrette

Blues, gold and black textured dichroic glass 4-inch barrette

Blue, gold and green pebble texture dichroic glass 4-inch barrette

Multi-stripe 4-inch dichroic glass barrette in blue, teal and gold

Bright blue and purple dichroic glass 4-inch barrette

Purple dichroic glass 4-inch barrette

Blue frit mixture pendant

Blue frit mixture pendant

Rectangular dichroic pendant

Gold, green, and blue dichroic fused glass earrings

Silver fused dichroic glass earrings