Why for the love of fibers?

What on Earth possesses me to create with fibers...

Well, it's simple really. I have been involved in some sort of fiber art since I was a very young girl learning to quilt & sew with my grandma and great-grandma in Missouri during my summer breaks. When I was at home I was also surrounded by my mom's crochet and macramè projects. It was wonderful growing up at the end of the fibers arts boom! And as a child it was so comfortable for me to just pick up a pencil and start drawing the world around me, paint with oil paints or piece a pattern by hand for a quilt.

Since I was in college though either paper or yarn has been my main choice to create with: either by weaving it, drawing on it, or sewing both together on my sewing machine. Simply sitting with knitting needles passing the time with yarn intertwined around my fingers makes me feel whole. I just love working with my hands! I believe it is something that is within me and seeing it all around me when I was growing up ~ it is so natural just to choose it. So you see my environment instilled a love & passion of fibers and the idea of something being handmade that has never really left me.

I was never dissuaded from being an artist by my family either. But I was encouraged to branch out and do different things. So that's just what I did. Knowing I would have to make a living I successfully completed a bachelor of fine arts in Graphic Design and a masters of arts in Weaving (textiles) from Marshall University. I got the best of both worlds you see. Plus I even worked as a production weaver for a while too. But for the last 15 years I have worked steadily as a graphic designer and on top of that since 2000 as a web designer/architect.

But between my work, marriage and having beautiful children I was lacking something along the way. I was craving fibers again and I just wasn't taking time to create in that matter. So last year I picked up some knitting needles, dusted off my loom and sewing machine and set some goals. I basically took over my dining room which is now decorated with large baskets and bowls of yarns with knitting needles sticking out of them. My loom is threaded and ready to weave a blanket and my sewing machine is just waiting for me to be inspired.

I brought my love of weaving, knitting & paper creations (stationery, etc.) to my own line of fiber-related arts called FibersStudio by Valerie J. Asbury. FibersStudio was launched on April 1st, 2009 on etsy.com. I have started with simple scarves, woven baby blankets and a few pieces of simple stationery. My love of color and textures are combined with a sense of fashion and design that mixes with the highest craftsmanship I can achieve. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and a must-have for any home or just that special gift to give to someone you love...that might even be you!

And that's where I am at for now. Visit my current creations at fiberstudio.etsy.com. There are many new projects on the horizon and I'll take you though process of creating them very soon! Plus I plan to talk a bit about that connection of graphic design and fibers that I believe is in every piece I work on.