Spotlight: Andrea Finch, Textile Artist

Step into a world where fabric grows like flowers. Andrea Finch turns cloth, thread, and found textiles into bold, blooming sculptures inspired by her garden. Her work is full of movement, texture, and quiet wonder. From magnolia petals to playful vessels, she stitches nature into life you can almost touch. In this interview, Andrea shares how she followed her path back to art and learned to let her ideas grow wild.

Tell us about your journey to become a botanical textile artist. When did you first fall in love with textiles and fiber art? What did you think you might be when you grew up — and how did art fit into that vision?

I always knew I would be an artist. My mother and grandmother did all kinds of crafts and knitted, crocheted, and did other handwork. My father and grandfather were mechanical and creative. We built things, made items from scratch, and were always busy. Our home garden was over an acre, with additional fruit trees and a large flower garden that my parents & grandparents, who lived next door, tended. I didn’t appreciate what I had growing up, but eventually figured out how important it was.  

During my last class at Kutztown University, I took a fiber arts class that covered dyeing, weaving, embroidery, and quilting. Once I touched the fabric, my path was set. I started making traditional quilts, loving the bold abstract shapes, but I was never a perfect quilter. I loved creating the designs, but sometimes fell short of sewing the perfect 1/4″ seam. I made bold, colorful quilts with original designs and had begun to design more improvisational and three-dimensional work. Then as with so many women, life happened. My second child was born, I began teaching yoga, we moved, I started gardening, and then I began working at a garden center. I was creating in a different way. 

What’s the story behind the name “afinchsong creation”?

So many years ago, when I was just beginning to make art, I realized I needed to have a business name. My initial and last name began the sentence, A. Finch, and I added to it to finish the sentence with a ‘song’.

Do you have a favorite plant or flower to work with? Why?

Magnolias continue to draw me back. There are so many varieties, I have 4 in my yard. I love the contrast of the soft, ephemeral flower petals to the hard seed pods in Southern Magnolias. The Star Magnolias’ flowers bloom in brilliant white for just a few days early each spring, then come the Saucer magnolia varieties in various pinks. The large petals give me room to quilt larger designs, use bold prints, and give the pieces attitude 

Right now, it’s a sunny day in early spring, and my redbud trees outside my window are popping out in purple blooms; a starling is sitting on the branches of one puffing out its feathers in a mating dance. Once it warms up a bit, I’ll be out in the sun pulling weeds and tending to the 2 acres of trees, shrubs, and flowers on my ½ acre. 

Walk us through your studio. What are the first things you see?

As you walk into my studio, you will first see the 2 walls of shelved fabric. One wall is reclaimed textile samples from local decorators who give me their discontinued sample books. I tore the books apart and sorted them by color.

On the other wall are shelves of traditional quilting fabrics, upholstery, and other heavier yardage. Below this are bins of fabrics, leather & vinyl, silky, vintage, and others that do not fit on the shelves.

The 3^rd wall of shelves contains flower parts, unfinished work begging my attention, and a collection of supplies for other needlework that I no longer do but may someday return to.

The last wall is my sorted collection of scraps, 3 large thread organizers, and my ironing platform. In the center is my large desk with my sewing machine on the side. Over time, I have moved most of the sewing and craft supplies for other types of art to another room so I can try to stay focused. 

What’s on your must-have materials list?

Thread of all colors, King Tut variegated 40 wt. is my favorite but I use all kinds.

Sharp scissors. I hand-cut my pieces, so a new pair of sharp scissors is one of my best tools. I use Fiskars razor edge. They are reasonably cheap, and I just buy a new pair when they get dull. The dull ones end up being used for the things you are not supposed to use your good fabric scissors for.

Forceps, which I use to turn flower parts and shove stuffing into small spaces.

Crafter’s Choice stuffing – it is less bouncy than fiber fill. I had a few bags of vintage stuffing that was the best, but I only have a small handful left for a special project.

How do you choose the fabrics you work with — especially found or repurposed textiles?

It depends on what I am trying to convey. Color and texture draw me to the fabric.

For the Coneflower seeds, I use batiks. They are tightly woven, and I can stuff them hard. Leaves, petals, and backgrounds, I love to use upholstery fabrics that have texture and thickness that help me defy gravity. 

Do you work with a plan? Or follow your intuition?

Intuition.

Each piece is built on the ones from before it. I am building when I create my art. I often work by assembly line, making hundreds of parts before putting them together. I may have a general idea of where I am going, but often, I pull the fabric off the shelf and start cutting & sewing. I rarely draw more than a rough sketch.

What’s the most challenging part of your process?

Finishing work without getting distracted by the new shiny idea. I work in many series: leaves, vessels, flowers, and smaller pieces for gift shops. It’s helpful when I get stuck, but there is always another idea calling for me to start a new piece

Can you describe a moment when a piece didn’t go as expected — and what you learned?

Almost every piece has a moment when it didn’t go as expected. I have boxes of parts that didn’t work for that piece. I keep them all and then create something new with them.

Zelda Unleashed came from a leftover leaf, petals, and curly Qs that were too large. I imagined it standing up, but gravity said they needed to lie flat. I gave up and accepted it. I have a listing teapot that I cannot make stand…yet!

Do you ever walk away from a piece and come back later with fresh ideas?

Early in my return to quilting, I had made a series of 3 dandelions. I loved the flowers, but they were just floating on the surface, not grounded to the background. They hung on my design wall for 6 months before the real dandelions started blooming in the yard again, and I realized they needed leaves!

Lately, I have been going through older work and cutting them up to make vessels. I can’t throw away older work, but I won’t show it either.

The vessel is made from a quilt I made for my kids that was loved to tatters.

Mother’s work started when I was expecting my second child. The blocks were set aside for 23 years before I figured out how to finish it in an unconventional way.

What’s a moment when something unexpected became a breakthrough?

I had been making flowers for quite a while. I was working with some broad petals, and I realized if I sewed up the sides, they would be a vessel. It was a simple change, but it has expanded the themes of my work. 

How would you compare the art you make today with the art you made ten years ago? What was the big turning point in your artistic journey?

10 years ago, my art was still rather flat; I was still thinking they were wall hung art. I was having difficulty with the weight and gravity. Once I realized they were sculptures, it helped me let go of many of the difficulties. The 3D form is so exciting to me. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to explore textile art?

Just do it! Take a class, watch a bunch of videos, dig through your mom’s craft room, or find a kit. Get your hands on fabric, thread, or yarn, and you will find your peace.

There are so many different forms of textile art, and artists are no longer staying in their lanes. Quilting, needlework, weaving, felting, apparel, and mixed media, which is everything, everywhere, all at once, and every expanding. Textile art is breaking all the boundaries 

Where can people see your work?

You can see my work in galleries & museums across the country. My brick & mortar location is The Foundry Art Market Co-op in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. I also have small pieces in gift shops at Visions Quilt & Textile Museum in San Diego, and the Virginia Quilt Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

I have 4 pieces in SAQA Global exhibits: Color in Context: Blue (Virginia Quilt Museum April 27 – July 31, 2027), Color in Context: Red (South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota: January 24- May 17, 2026), Nature’s Canvas (Windgate Museum of Art Conway, Arkansas May-Aug 2026), AI: Artistic Interpretations (Louisiana State University Museum of Art February 5-May 10, 2026)

Most recently in 2025 & early 2026: