Weaving wearable wonders sets Sarah Conklin’s place as an Alabama Maker
Sarah Conklin's talents are well-showcased by Feather Wild, through her imaginative weaving designs used in clothing, jewelry and decorative items for the home.
The Maker: Sarah Conklin, Feather Wild, Huntsville
Sarah Conklin has always been interested in making beautiful things, and is inspired by the great outdoors.
“I grew up in the Hudson River Valley, about two hours north of New York City.
We were surrounded by woods and creeks,” she says. “From an early age I was fascinated by making things by hand. My mother did sewing work, which influenced me creatively.”
Sarah Conklin, an Alabama Maker, weaves wearable wonders through Feather Wild from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
When it came time to go to college, Conklin came South to study metal working and printmaking at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. She later moved to Huntsville to apprentice with Alabama Designer and Goldsmith Connie Ulrich, helping her to create a line of silver jewelry and custom pieces. In Huntsville, she also joined the Lowe Mill Arts Community and became a founding member of the Green Pea Press at Lowe Mill.
A cornucopia of bright colors are birthed in fabric in Conklin’s workshop.
Then her teenage daughter inspired Conklin to switch from metals to something softer.
“My daughter, Sophia, got interested in screen printing, so I found a place for her to learn, took a class myself, and rediscovered fabrics,” Conklin says. “Eventually, I started hand printing my own designs onto fabric, which I made into items like napkins and tote bags.”
Now, Conklin screen prints, sews and weaves her “Feather Wild” line of jewelry and clothing items, which she sells online at her Etsy and Square Market shops and at the Pea Pod Shop in Lowe Mill. In addition to raising two teenagers, the busy artist hand-makes fabric items at her home studio in southeast Huntsville and teaches printmaking classes for children at the Green Pea Press.
“I want my all of my creations to be eco friendly and well made,” Conklin says. “Because I’ve always believed they should be as beautiful and useful as possible.”
Conklin still spends as much time as possible in the great outdoors, drawing inspiration from nature.
“We live near the Aldridge Creek Greenway,” she says. “Just like when I grew up, I’m not far from a beautiful place where I can go to study the patterns of river pebbles or the clouds in the sky. That helps a lot. Nature is at my heart, and I always want to put a little bit of my heart and soul into anything I make.”
The Product: Functional items such as napkins, tote bags, dish towels, potholders and zippered pouches, as well as fabric jewelry, wall hangings and other decorative items – all hand sewn from natural materials and dyes.
Sewing is second nature to this multi-talented textile designer.
Sarah Conklin, Feather Wild, Huntsville AL 35802
- www.featherwild-sarah.tumblr.com Facebook: Feather Wild
- Phone: 256-655-6265
Take Home: Branch hangings. Made from scraps of hand-printed fabrics, hand-dyed up-cycled cotton, these decorative items come with a foraged branch with cotton twine for hanging. ($60)
Coin/card zipper pouches. Made from up-cycled, hand-dyed natural fabrics, these handy pouches are hand printed with original designs using water-based inks ($12-$16)
Alabama Makers explores the artisans, crafts people, carpenters, cooks, bakers, blacksmiths, designers and others making original and extraordinary items in our state. If you know an Alabama Maker, let us know at alnewscenter@outlook.com.
