Maryte Collard
I was born and spent most of my life in Lithuania, country of
amber, songs and rain.
Despite my career in a medical field I was always interested in
fiber arts and crafts but quilting stole my heart when I was
introduced to it in 1997.
For 11 years since 2002 till 2013 I
lived in US and there I realized that quilting was much more than a
craft, it was an ART.
I started making traditional quilts but soon I realized that I
wanted to explore endless possibilities fiber arts offer: raw edge
applique using my own hand dyed silk and cotton as a background,
painting and thread painting and free motion quilting that is my
favorite part of quiltmaking.
I draw my inspiration mostly from nature and life around me but
also I love creating abstract quilts letting the pieces of fabric to
fall into places just like they knew where they belonged.
A new challenge in my quilting career emerged when I moved back to
Lithuania in 2013. There were no tradition of making quilts here and
there were no supplies. I had to start dyeing my own fabrics and to
this day I am searching for my new style. For now my style often is
recognized as “American” when I put my quilts on display in
Lithuania or in Latvia.
Even there are few quilters in Lithuania now, there is no sense of
community and I feel rather isolated. That's why I joined SAQA and
also became a member of Latvian Quilting Association.
Your work is so vibrant. I'm glad that you found the SAQA family.
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