An Interview with Lady Dye Fiber Arts and Design

By Diane of Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design

BH: What is your background?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: My name is Diane and I live in Jamaica Plain, MA. I have five brothers and two sisters and come from a very close knit family. I was raised by my grandparents in Highland Park, IL from a very young age until my early teenage years in which my family then moved to Conyers, GA. I graduated from Georgia College & State University with a B.A. in Political Science and Mass Communication with a concentration in Print Journalism in 2001 and I have a M.A. in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from Suffolk University. I currently work for The Boston Foundation and love my job.

BH: How long have you been doing your artwork/craft?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: I have been in the world of the fiber arts since December of 2002 when I first learned how to knit. From then on I became passionate about everything fiber. I have been knitting for the last 8 years, crocheting for 6 years, spinning and dyeing yarn for 5 years.

BH: What first made you want to become an artist?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: As a young girl, I was always interested in crafts. It wasn’t until I received a sketch pad and colored pencils at Christmas way back when, did I begin to understand art and drawing. I was very crafty growing up and I would often times sew my doll clothes by hand. Eventually, the ideal of being an artist slipped away for several years until my close friend Nicole gave me my artistic niche back when I moved to Rhode Island in 2002. We both knit and overtime, I developed my love of the arts again thanks to her.

BH: Please describe your creative process?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: My creative process for dyeing yarn is really inspired by the changing of the seasons. It’s so amazing to see the transition of Mother Nature every year and the colors that surround us. I look forward mostly to spring and the fall where I get my inspiration for which fruits and vegetables I will dye my yarn with but also for spinning my yarn. During spring and fall, I often enjoy walking around outside or looking at what people are wearing and draw inspiration from the colors surrounding me.

BH: What is your favorite color?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: My favorite color is blue…all shades of blue!

BH: Why should people buy handmade?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: Buying or receiving items handmade is a treasure and I find that people value these items more because someone took their time to craft something unique.

BH: Name your top five books and movies?
Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design: For movies it would have to be: The Color Purple, Fried Green Tomatoes, Schindler’s List, Roots, Anne of Green Gables (although it’s a series I love it!). My favorite books are: All Souls, Happy to be Nappy, Fried Green Tomatoes, the Harry Potter series, and Taming of the Shrew and yes…it’s a play but a great play!