Kristin LaFlamme calls herself “an artist who sews,” and her work shows just how powerful fabric and thread can be. Inspired by her life as a military spouse, her background in graphic design, and the world around her, Kristin creates quilts that tell stories and spark conversations.
From playful color choices to thoughtful social commentary, her pieces invite viewers to look closely and think a little deeper.
Tell us your childhood memories of making art.
I’ve always been artistic. As long as my parents supplied me with paper and mark making tools, I would draw and paint. I would copy illustrations I liked, as well as create my own imagery.
My teen years were mostly filled with drawings and paintings of horses. In High School, my art teacher encouraged me to enroll in summer programs at the local art colleges, which led me to study graphic design at Otis Art Institute.
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You describe yourself as an artist who sews. When did that identity begin?
My sister and I were surrounded by crafty people. Our father was a graphic designer and did a lot of home DIY. Our mom was also skilled at DIY and made all our crazy Halloween costumes, as well as guided us through making things ourselves.
We also had a couple of crafty grandmothers who always had projects for us to do. So I learned how to sew doll clothes and costumes in my early teens.
When I met my husband, his mom and sisters were into quilting and introduced me to the craft. It was love at first sight, as I knew how to sew, and the coordination of colors and patterns inherent in quilting spoke directly to my graphic design skills.
Over the years, I’ve focused more on the concepts behind the quilts, which I consider an art approach, but my medium is definitely fabric and stitch over drawing or painting — so, in the last 10 years-ish, I’ve considered myself an artist who sews.
Did your time moving around as a military spouse change how you think about home, materials, or art?
My time as a military spouse didn’t influence my materials or my drive to create, but it definitely has influenced my subject matter. We lived many years on American bases in Germany, so at first my work was interpreting the environment around me. Then it moved to a longing for roots and community.
I spent many years working on pieces that reflected my experiences as an Army wife, and now I focus mostly on social commentary.
How do current events or culture show up in your pieces?
I use my work to process the world around me. By thinking about how to represent something visually, but not necessarily literally, I force myself to find the essence of a concept, or a connection between a universal concept and a personal experience.
I’m also always thinking about why I am creating a piece in fabric, and not photography or paint or sculpture, and how that impacts the message I want to convey.
Describe your creative space. When you walk into your studio, what do you see first? What does your workspace say about you and your creative mind?
I am lucky enough to have a large space dedicated to my sewing and making. Walking in, it’s hard to miss all the sewing machines! I have four that I use regularly for quilting and garment making, plus an older one my kid uses for their crafting.
The open shelving in the room houses all my fabric, yarn, drawing supplies, and miscellaneous other craft supplies. One could probably find enough supplies to make just about anything in that room. It also probably says I’m a little messy, and I have a lot of interests.
Do you sketch first or dive straight into the materials?
I have a couple of basic sketchbooks that I jot notes in when an idea starts to take hold. I start with words and rough sketches — like *really* rough.
Depending on the idea, I then either jump right in to cutting fabric, or I go to my computer and make a pattern or template using Adobe Illustrator (I’m just starting to use Affinity Designer because my husband is retiring and we no longer have access to Adobe Creative Suite through his education account).
I’ve gone through phases where I was doing more drawing, and I’d like to learn how to paint with watercolors, plus I sometimes play around with Procreate, but not so much lately (and I really should brush up my drawing skills because if you don’t use them, you definitely lose them).
When you hit a creative wall, what pulls you through?
Since I don’t work as a studio artist with deadlines or a gallery wanting work, I don’t worry too much about creative walls. I turn my attention to something else like house projects or work in the garden, or I swap from making art quilts to sewing garments, and sooner or later the muse comes knocking again.
How do you balance intention with letting the work speak back to you?
I usually start with intention, but not a set idea of what the finished piece should look like. I have a general idea of colors or elements I want to include, but I don’t map anything out completely.
I enjoy allowing for change and surprise. Because I am mostly using printed fabrics, it’s hard to anticipate scale and relationships in a preliminary drawing. I really need to just jump in and see which fabrics work together.
I like to be able to adjust as I go — definitely letting the work speak to me. I think I would get bored with the construction if I knew exactly what something was going to look like from the very beginning.
How do you hope people feel when they see your pieces?
I want to spark conversations with my work. I want people to be intrigued.
Is there a piece you’ve made that feels closest to your heart?
I have a few pieces that come to mind. One is a tiny landscape that is pretty abstract when you look closely, but still embodies a summer scene of a castle ruin on a hilltop, where we spent a weekend getaway.
Another is Home Fires from my Army Wife apron series. It’s the one that pulls the whole series together.
I’ve sold both of those pieces and miss them a bit. The one I still have is Suck it Up, which is essentially a snarky motivational poster in quiet form. I love everything about it.
What’s a question you wish people asked about your art, but rarely do?
Can I buy this from you for a large sum of money?
How do you weave art into the rest of your life — family, work, rest?
I’m not sure I do a very good job of weaving the art in. Sometimes I feel like I am neglecting the home life in favor of working on an art piece, and often I feel like I could make more and better art if I didn’t spend time at work. But I like my job, and it pays me (which art does not), and my family is pretty forgiving.
How do you keep curiosity alive after so many years of making?
I like to think I’m like a sponge. I’m always looking and listening, and I can’t help but make connections. Connections and questions are key to any creative venture, I think.
What advice would you give someone just starting to make art?
Try all the things! You never know what does or doesn’t work for you until you try, and you won’t be good at anything without practice, so just make, make, make (without expectations).
Where can people see your work?
My Instagram @kristinlaflamme
Rapid-Fire Fun:
Favorite color right now? I’m using a lot of orange right now, and surprisingly don’t hate it.
Early bird or night owl in the studio? Early Bird
One word that describes your art? Narrative
A tool you can’t live without? My seam ripper!
Favorite season for inspiration? Spring
Interview posted April, 2026
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