Kay owned a custom sewing business
for 10, when she found herself drawn to home décor and design. In 1991 she
opened Kay’s Kreations to explore this new field. She spent 11 doing just that,
designing for others and running her business. After realizing had little time
to pursue her personal designs and ideas, it was time to move on.
Always drawn to sharing her
discoveries, Kay worked regionally as an instructor and demonstrator teaching
skills she learned in this field. During this time she found that she could
share on a larger scale through books. In 2003 All Through the Homes- Bathrooms
was released, followed by All Through the Home-Kitchens.
Working as a custom designer for a
fiber arts museum, she started exploring the world of fibers. After teaching
needle felting for the Society of Creative Designers, she found herself again
teaching and sharing what she had learned.
In 2006 Kay began Doubletake Design
with long-time friend Judy Jacobs. Their new business focused on felting along
with explorations in other fiber arts, which opened many new creative doors for
Kay.
Kay once again found a larger
audience through print. In 2007, Needle Felting Artful Fashion was released,
written by Kay and Judy. In 2008, two more books were released: The Big Book of
Felting, and Easy Felting. Kay’s designs have been featured in magazines
including Belle Armoire and Haute Handbags.
The year 2008 was a busy year for
Kay. She traveled to Central Asia in 2008 and her experiences there led to the
formation of Imagine Global, an importing company founded to directly help the
women that Kay worked with during her trips. More information can be found at www.imagineglobal.info
. She again partnered with Rona Horn for both Imagine Global, and her new
company Imagine Together, featuring designs, kits, supplies, wearable art, and
art for the home.
Rona Horn
Rona started stitching and knitting
at an early age, learning the skills from her mother and grandmother.
Working at her parents’ business for 10 years she developed people skills which
have served her well as an instructor, and always drawing her to fields working
with people. After moving to Eau Claire, Rona married and had two daughters.
Leaving the retail world behind, Rona rediscovered the skills she learned as a
child, once again becoming immersed in stitching and knitting.
In 2002 Rona began working at a
fiber arts museum, the access to instructors along with new techniques and
skills awakened a thirst to learn as much as possible. Soon she was teaching
classes in many fiber arts including knitting, embroidery, and beading.
Rona had always been drawn to
texture and color, content to follow patterns and designs making small changes
in color and layout. It wasn’t until she was introduced to glass beadmaking in
2002 that she discovered her need to create. She soon found herself completely
immersed in a new field of skills and techniques.
In 2005 a new business was born,
Rona Horn Designs. Rona’s beads and jewelry were now available through her
website and online auctions, and locally in gift shops and bead stores.
During this time Rona met Judy
Jacobs and Kay Kaduce co-owners of Doubletake Design. In 2007 Kay and Judy
asked Rona be a consultant on the jewelry chapter of their next book, The Big
Book of Felting. This opportunity found Rona involved in many areas of the
writing process. The collaboration worked so well they continued working
together through 2007 and 2008 teaching and sharing their excitement and
knowledge in shows across the county.
Working together, Kay and Rona soon
found many of their designs and ideas crossing into each other to form exciting
new projects. In 2008, they formed Imagine Global, an importing company
specifically for items made in the villages where Kay taught during her trips
to Central Asia through Winrock, an organization that This soon led to Imagine Together in 2009,
their newest endeavor, offering kits, supplies, wearable art, and art for the
home.
The shared experiences and skills
from different backgrounds and interests have resulted in classes and projects
both unique and exciting.
Jill was a graphic designer for many years when she decided
to undertake a career change.During
this time, Jill kept busy exploring art.Unlike her work as a graphic artist, she enjoyed getting her hands
involved.Ceramics was first, but she became
frustrated with the lack of color.Jill
then began exploring surface design and stitched art.It was when she saw a seamless felted coat by
Lizzie Houghton in the Spring 2005 issue of Quilting
Art Magazine,thatshe knew she found her medium.She began the process of teaching herself
felt making.Self taught to a point, three
seamless coats and many smaller pieces were completed before instruction was
sought from a number of wonderful felt makers.
Jill’s work begins with an interesting or demanding
form. She then strives to use the wool fiber as a sculpting medium, much
like a hand built piece of ceramic. The felting process is used to push
the wool fibers to do as much of the work as possible. The wool fiber allows
non-felting fibers and fabrics to be attached.A seam can be made.A shape can
be manipulated.Weight and drape can be
controlled.The process of play and
experimentation directs much of Jill’s work.“What if…” rules in her studio.
Jill has been teaching felt making classes at The Fiber
Studio in Minneapolis,
and in her home studio since the beginning of 2008.She loves to introduce people to the feeling
of wool fiber transforming from fibers to fabric directly under their
hand.It is also important for Jill to
teach her students how to make strong, quality felt suited for the project at
hand.Jill has been juried into a number
of art shows and exhibits and looks forward to the opportunities ahead as her
work continues to develop and grow.
