Helena Scheffer creates fiber art with textiles. Colour is what inspires her work. She starts with an idea, pulls out her fabrics and lets them speak to her.
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I am a colourist who works with textiles. I use fabric as my palette. Any kind of fabric is fair game: commercial fabrics, vintage textiles that I overdye, paint, and stamp, thrifted clothing, scarves and ties, cottons, silks (my favourite), and synthetics. It all works for me. My fabric looks like Swiss cheese, with holes all over from the small pieces I have snipped out.
Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?
About 5 years ago, I was approached to have a solo show at a local gallery and decided to create a series combining my art with my studies to become a yoga teacher: the Colours of the Chakras.
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Each of the seven pieces is a visual representation of a specific chakra and its corresponding colour, created through carefully selected fabrics. The solo show never materialized because of the pandemic, but I submitted the series to the World of Threads, an international textile exhibition near Toronto, Ontario.
The series was purchased by the City of Oakville, and it is now on permanent display for everyone to enjoy. The best possible outcome!
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
I start with a preliminary idea of the colour I want to use, and begin by pulling fabrics from my cupboard. It’s the fabric that tells me where it wants to go. I end up with a huge pile on my table, using many of them just once.
Describe your creative space.
I am fortunate to have a beautiful studio in my home with windows on three sides. I work flat on a large table (with an Ikea kitchen island underneath for storage). I have a Bernina sewing machine and a Handiquilter Sweet 16 for quilting.
How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times? Or work only when inspired?
I’m now retired from my career as a French-English translator, so I create art every day. I also make time to practice and teach yoga, and volunteer with Galgos del Sol, a greyhound rescue organization. I sew coats of my own design for each dog arriving from Spain.
What is your favorite storage tip for your fabric and creative supplies?
I use clear plastic bins to store the small scraps of fabric, organized by colour, and a cupboard with shelves for the larger pieces, also organized by colour.
How often do you start a new project?
As soon as the last one is finished. Whenever I complete a piece, I think, “This is my absolute favourite!” Until the next one…
Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I will often work on creating a collage on my table, but also quilt and hand stitch another piece. Then I can move from one process to the other for a change of pace.
How does a new work come about?
I start with the base layer: a piece of felt, covered with Misty Fuse. Then I layer on small pieces of fabric one at a time. Next, I cover the whole piece with tulle, pinning it in place. This allows me to machine stitch without the foot catching on the edges of the fabric. I then add hand stitching in heavier thread for interest and more texture. The finished piece is glued to painted canvas or a plywood circle. Very large pieces hang as quilts from a rod.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Every work of art should have at least one tiny speck of red.
How has your work evolved over the years? Is there a common thread (pun intended!) across the years?
I started, as many people do, by making traditional quilts. But I don’t like following patterns, so I decided to do things my own way.
I created a series of monochromatic quilts using sewn strips and squares, then had an “aha” moment when I realized that I could layer and collage fabrics without sewing them, and adhere the pieces to painted canvas, to hang on the wall.
At the time, I was running an art gallery where I realized that textile art hanging on the wall like a painting was seen as “art” rather than craft. Later, a friend gave me a round plywood panel and said, “Helena, I bet you could do something with this,” and I started working in the round, which I love.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
Colour inspiration is never-ending! No two pieces are ever the same. My favourite colour to work with is red. I could create a red piece every day and never get bored. The only colour I really don’t like is brown.
Where can people see your work?
I am a member of a professional artist’s group in Montreal, the Lakeshore Association of Artists (www.artlakeshore.com), where I am proud to be the only textile artist. We exhibit twice a year, with 1/3 of the proceeds going to local charities.
I have been a Juried Artist Member of SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Associates) https://www.saqa.com/ for years and currently have two pieces on tour: Kiribati in Renewal, a Canadian show, https://www.saqa.com/events/renewal-saqa-regional and Kiribati: Source of Darkness in Fierce Planets. https://www.saqa.com/art/exhibitions/fierce-planets-saqa-global-exhibition
Helena’s website: https://helenascheffer.weebly.com/
Interview posted February 2024
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