capturing the color & magic of nature in fiber
Hi there, I’m D’Lacey
I enjoy making things with fiber, finding color in nature to dye that fiber with, reading and collecting books, and occasionally writing about the creative life + library I share with my husband and poodle in our 1937 storybook cottage in Wisconsin.
My love for all things fiber has developed over many years. Having grown up on a small farm with parents who fostered and encouraged my creativity, I remember my childhood through a lens of making things and between the pages of books. I found my niche with fiber art while holding a needle and thread, making custom hand embroidery, but eventually experienced creative burn out while running a successful Etsy shop. In recent years, I have rediscovered the joy of simply creating and have fallen in love with the mix of intricate free motion embroidery, needle felting, cyanotypes, natural dyeing, and eco printing I create magic with in my studio today. Forever fascinated by nature and the stories that shape us, my inspiration continues to be drawn from books and the natural world, crafting whimsical woodland creatures, enchanting landscapes, magical mushrooms, sweet songbirds and more.
When not creating in my home studio or gardening, I can often be found teaching fiber art techniques and crafts to adults and children at the West Bend Library. As such, my creative process is always paired with a book; whether an audiobook in the background over the hum of the sewing machine and the crunching stab of the felting needle, or the pages of a vintage book repurposed for my art.
I’m glad you’re here!
in the stitch studio
Inside the smallest bedroom of my home is the small but mighty “stitch studio.” The East-facing window makes the room glow with natural light, especially in the morning when sunlight streams into the hallway like an invitation to create. It is my creative home inside my home. And like the rest of my house, the studio is curated with vintage and thrifted finds repurposed to into something both functional and beautiful: a discarded crib spring with a garland of old thread spools displays finished work, a large chippy wardrobe with structurally questionable legs serves as storage, thread is kept in type-set trays, large vintage laundry baskets hold countless fabric scraps, and of course, old books that I use for reference, inspiration, or simply décor fill shelves. It definitely does not always look as tidy as pictured, there is usually a fine film of wool dust everywhere! But it is a welcome haven to create and learn from mistakes, messes of tangled thread, or needle stabs.
in the dye shed
A self-taught fiber artist and natural dyer, I specialize in creating color from foraged and homegrown plants to use in my varied work. Most of the plants I used to dye wool, cotton, and silk are from my own garden, which I have cultivated to specifically for “growing my own color.” Colors are crafted in my garden dye shed or in our converted basement laundry room which I have glamorized into an all-season dye space, just steps away from vibrant cosmos, marigolds, coreopsis, yarrow, ferns, and so much more blooming in the backyard. Much like my stitch studio, my dye space is outfitted with many vintage, repurposed, and thrifted finds. Natural dyeing doesn’t need to be expensive! The vintage jadeite sink and 1950’s electric stove I use the most frequently for dyeing were both free marketplace finds! In the shed, I covered the walls with the pages of a vintage flower identification book, complete with its beautiful watercolor prints. The space encourages creativity both inside and out. The art of natural dyeing has provided me a deeper connection with and better appreciation for the seemingly commonplace nature around me. It is the perfect way to use fiber as a medium while being inspired by the very palette of nature, with potential color to unlock everywhere! My hope is to offer classes outdoors among the flowers, where students can “shop” for art supplies in my garden.
