Maura Ambrose - Holding Both Truths
Molly Meng and Maura Ambrose chat about priorities, patriotic quilts, studio space evolution, procrastination, and playing with the tension and finding the edge.
Priorities, patriotic quilts, procrastination, studio space evolution, and playing with the tension and finding the edge!
Maura's journey began in 2011 when she followed her dream to merge gardening and quilting. Hailing from a family of quilters and tailors, Maura finds joy and meaning in connecting with her ancestors through her craft and preserving heritage techniques. A pioneer in hand-dyed fabrics and hand-stitched quilts, Maura has inspired an international movement by sharing her plant-based dyeing processes and using those colors in quilt making. Her brand, Folk Fibers, has become a sought-after choice for heirloom quilt collectors. At her home studio and garden sanctuary, Maura immerses herself in color, allowing the transformation from seed to plant, dye, and textile to inform her work.
She shares her expertise by teaching workshops locally and abroad, emphasizing a balance of technique and play. Maura and her family live on a ten-acre woodland property near the lower Colorado River in Bastrop, TX. Embracing the seasons, Maura's connection to nature and authentic living continues to inspire her creative work.
Takeaways:
- Once you sit down to work in this slow intentional process of hand sewing there’s a heartbeat, a quiet space, a discipline of being present and reflection, allowing the waters to clear.
- Artist dates are where creativity blooms.
- Quilts touch the deepest parts of people’s lives.
- There are many places in life where we have a need to control, but our art practice is a place where we can let go of that control.
- The work speaks for itself, it’s told to me in real time.
Aurora Silk natural dyes
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