Karen Fuller is a weaver who finds magic in repetition, color, and the quiet rhythm of thread on a loom. From coloring blueprints in her dad’s toolbox to carving out a studio corner in a busy apartment with three kids, her path to art feels both steady and deeply human. In this interview, she shares how pattern, play, and a little bit of letting go shape her life as a maker.
Do you remember a moment when making art first felt important to you?
I think everyone has a natural inclination towards creativity and it’s just a matter of whether they’re encouraged to pursue it or not.
My dad was an architect, and I loved it when he brought home his metal toolbox full of markers to color in building facade blueprints (this was before CAD took over). Anyway, I think that helped show me that what looked to me like drawing and coloring could be important work, not just play.
How did art fit into your life before it became a serious practice?
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
I didn’t necessarily grow up making a lot of great art or anything, but always loved art class. I was always doodling and really obsessed with drawing patterns. I guess I found it soothing, still do.
When I decided to go for a BFA, it made sense. I was interested in printed textile design, but then found out about weaving, and that was it. After school, I worked for 5 years in the textile industry, and weaving was just a hobby. I quit working once I started having babies, and now I have been able to prioritize weaving and marketing my artwork for sale.
Where do you most often find inspiration for your work?
I love pulling inspiration for patterns from home textiles like quilt blocks and woven coverlet and overshot patterns and decorative folk art.
There is a calmness to the repetition of pattern that I crave.
How do you stay open to inspiration during busy or uncertain times?
I’m not sure where I was reading about this recently, but it was something like this…don’t treat your creativity/ideas as a scarce resource to conserve. The more you tap into your creativity and share it, the more it will snowball, and you’ll see inspiration everywhere.
I keep notes on ideas I have for future work because things will come to me while I’m nursing the baby or cooking dinner, and I do my best to keep track of them for future reference. Sometimes I have no idea what I was thinking. Sometimes it’s just a title idea for a collection of work I hope to make one day.
Can you describe your studio space and how it feels to work there?
I work out of my two bedroom apartment that I live in with my three young children, small dog and my husband (we ask a lot of this space.) So my “studio space” is a desk in my bedroom, next to a window. Carving out a dedicated workspace with a bit of natural light feels really lovely and I feel fortunate for the phase I am in right now.
What materials do you reach for again and again?
I have been working through mostly the same stash of yarn for almost 10 years. I do add things here and there, but mostly replace my tried and true yarns.
I’m still finding different ways to use what I have. I have copper and gold metallic yarns that I love to sneak into things any chance I get.
How does a new piece usually begin for you?
When I begin a new piece, I usually start with a color story. I’ll go to my yarn cabinet and just pull out different yarns, holding different pairings.
Sometimes the color stories come to me when I see cones of yarn that need to be put away and they’re all mixed together randomly and I’ll take a picture of it to save for later.
I rarely sketch anything on paper but prefer to weave and unweave while I play with mixing different yarn materials and colors until something sticks.
What role does play or experimentation have in your process?
I have always felt like weaving is play. Weaving is so simple but it feels like magic!
I am playing with yarn and color and materials and texture and pattern every time I sit down to weave. Because weaving is forgiving, and you can weave and unweave and try again.
I have such limited time to weave as it is, so what I wish I had more time for is experimenting outside of weaving. I know there will be more time for that in years to come.
How do you work through moments of doubt or frustration?
I think is so good to have more than one project going at a time. That way when one piece isn’t going how I want or is just boring me, I can hop over to something else and keep the momentum going.
The best ideas come to me when I’m busy working on something else.
How has your relationship with mistakes changed over time?
I hate to make mistakes. So this is an area I will always need to work on but since having kids I am learning that making mistakes is how we grow.
I say this constantly, but weaving is forgiving and built on repetition. So when mistakes happen, you just try again. I am not being eloquent, but there is so much metaphor for life to be found in a weaving practice.
What have you learned about yourself through making art?
I really want to be in control of things. There are a lot of things we can control, but some of the best things happen outside of our control.
When something doesn’t go as expected, I can try again or leave room for the unexpected, which I think we all know is where the magic happens.
How do you recharge when you feel creatively tired?
Making time for an artist date is key.
One of my recurring artist dates this year has been going to the New York City Ballet. There is the amazing talent of the dancers and the orchestra for inspiring being very, very good at something, of course, but it’s also people watching in the theater and being in a different neighborhood in the city. So much to observe.
I usually come home from these outings very tired, but in the best way. I have limited alone with time taking care of three young kids. So I really soak up my time away experiencing an art form totally different than what I can do. I think experiencing beauty always inspires a desire to make something yourself.
Where can people see your work?
Karenfullerart.com
Instagram @karenfullerart
Interview posted March 2026
Browse through more weaving inspiration on Create Whimsy.