Posts in Textiles
Thread History: Rosie Lee Tompkins' Quilt Brilliance

On February 19th, 2020, a massive retrospective of nearly seventy works by Rosie Lee Tompkins (1936-2006), an accomplished African-American quilt artist, opened at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). A new awareness of her creations as true pieces of art, encompassing masterful color choices, sharp social commentary, and brilliant composition, is emerging.

Read More
Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday to Marion Dorn!

Merry Christmas! And Happy Birthday to Marion Dorn, a trail blazing print and graphics designer. She designed for many companies, creating textile designs, wall hangings, carpeting, rugs, wallpaper, graphics and more. She contributed to some of the best known interiors of the time including the Claridges, Berkeley of London, Savoy, the Orion and the Queen Mary. In the 1920s, she was dubbed “The Architect of Floors” in praise of her influential modern carpet designs. She raised the status of rugs with her modern designs; she is best known for her sculpted carpets and using batik techniques on rugs.

Read More
Happy Birthday to Josef Hoffmann, Wiener Werkstätte Master!

Happy birthday to Josef Hoffmann, born on this date in 1870! Most known for his architecture, Hoffmann’s vast body of work includes furniture, glass, metalwork, porcelain, and textiles. Hoffmann’s main goal with his work was in unifying architecture with interior elements. He joined with Moser in 1903 to establish the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop).

Read More