Teresa Ruch has a passion for color. She expresses this in handwoven, hand dyed clothing that flows with color and drape. We welcome Teresa Ruch Designs to our new Lincoln City Cultural Center Fiber Arts Studio Gallery for an exclusive show and sale through November.
Because of her background in the textile industry, Teresa is able to engineer the drape of a handwoven cloth to get the affect she wants, whether it is in a simple plain weave or woven in a 20 shaft twill. Her goal is to create a garment that has drape, color, and elegance and is a timeless joy to wear.
Teresa started dyeing yarns when she could not find the colors she wanted to use and is now able to share those brilliant colors with other fiber artists. The current line of hand dyed/painted fibers consists of four weights of tencel yarns for weavers and knitters. Teresa enjoys using fibers from plants that grow in poor soil conditions and give back to the soil they come from and do not use much water in the processing of the fiber.
This show will be mainly hand dyed/hand painted yarns and hand woven garments. Some are tencel, bamboo, and rayon threads which are dyed before weaving the item. Others are woven in white fiber and dye afterwards creating a riot of color and exciting, one of a kind color blending. The colors are strong and fully saturated with complex woven structures. The rayon is woven in plain weave and sometimes includes a silk/wool blend that shrinks at a different rate and gives a sculptured or gathered look to the shawls while maintaining the desired drape.
Teresa Ruch Designs also provide special order dyed yarns for purchase by weavers or knitters. Teresa has done the contract dyeing for the national Handweavers’ Guild of America Convergence Conference a number of times. She offers custom dyeing and weaving for interior design and even auto restoration projects. She has a passion for all fibers and fabrics with a special collector’s eye for Asian designs and silks.
Teresa discovered the weaving loom in college at Oregon State University and has been weaving ever since. She worked in the textile industry for 18 years as a sample weaver and jacquard designer for interiors, menswear, womenswear, and contract furniture. She was instrumental in the development of the first computerized looms and was a consultant for the textile industry.
At any one time, Teresa may have four or more looms with different projects and hundreds of pounds of yarns in the stages of being dyed. She lives with her work with little room to spare. She has taught at various colleges, schools, conferences, and guilds nationally and in the Pacific Northwest and continues to give workshops. http://www.teresaruchdesigns.com.
Teresa Ruch Designs will be our Featured Artist, October 3 through November 30, 2020, at the Lincoln City Cultural Center Fiber Arts Studio Gallery, first floor, opposite the main entrance from the Chessman Gallery. The Cultural Center, 540 NE Hwy. 101, in Lincoln City, is open Thursdays through Sundays, 10–4. Of course masks and social distancing are required.
