Susan Porter - Weaver, Designer, Dyer

I haven’t always been a weaver, but I have always been a fiber fanatic. I must have inherited this love of fiber from my grandmother. She taught me how to sew when I was 12 (the same year I learned how to knit), and we spent hours together looking through her stash of fabrics and talking about the wonderful things we would make. 

After graduating from college with a degree in Philosophy,  I studied photography and design at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C.  Combining my love of fiber and my design training, I supported myself making quilts and selling at craft fairs. Ultimately I had to set aside my fiber arts and opt for a more stable income.  Throughout my working life I continued to love fiber and fiber arts. 

My First exposure to weaving was during my college years where I taught myself to weave on an Inkle loom.  I promised myself that when I retired I would devote myself to weaving.  I kept my promise and in 2007 I began to study weaving and purchased my first multi-shaft floor loom.  Weaving has been my all consuming passion ever since. I especially love that fiber allows me to create functional pieces that are both art and craft.

I weave on four looms in my home studio: an eight harness Schacht Mighty Wolf, an eight harness Harrisville Designs loom,  an eight harness Ashford table loom, and a 24 shaft AVL Compu-Dobby loom.  I am passionate about color and I dye much of the yarn I work with.  The result is a unique blend of colors that can't be repeated, making each my hand-dyed pieces one of a kind.  All of my scarves and shawls are unique, and my towels are woven in small batches of six or eight towels.  

My work is currently represented by Light Art Space Gallery in Silver City New Mexico. It is also possible to purchase my work directly from me or at the Annual Holiday Artisan Market in Silver City in December.  Use the "contact me" link above to get in touch.