Dubrawsky’s
career is a study
in artistic evolution.
She has gone from
printmaking
to quilting, textile
design and now
entrepreneurship.
HAT DO
YOU DO IF YOU’RE A QUILTER WHO
can’t find the fabric patterns or colors you want
to w ork with? I f you’re M alka Dubrawsky,
you create your own hand-dyed patterns.
“I didn’t like the fabrics I could buy,” D u-
braw sky says. “T he color sits on the surface
differently. [And] I w anted to have the pat-
terns and colors that /w anted, not just what
w as com m ercially available.”
D ubraw sky’s foray into handcrafted fab-
rics early in her 20-year career is just one
example o f how she looks at things w ith a
different eye—seeing not just w hat is there,
but w hat is possible. A fte r earning a B F A in
studio art from the U niversity o f T exas at
Austin in 1989, D ubraw sky began a career in
draw ing and lithography, but quickly dis-
covered that her chosen art form was a little
too hands-off.
“It w asn’t tactile enough; printing seemed
so flat, everything on one level and behind
glass.” She loved to sew , a talent passed
dow n from her mother, and found herself
drawn to the more functional art o f quilting.
“ I wanted to translate some o f m y drawing
into fiber pieces. T he fabric felt more alive
[than paper], more dimensional.”
D ubraw sky began experim enting w ith
hand-dyeing and textile design, using one
crafted product to create a second: art quilts
that w ere all about multi-dimensional beau-
ty. U sing batik and shibori m ethods, she
found the direct connection w ith materials
that had been missing for her in printmaking.
Instead o f flattening out when transferred to
paper, patterns and colors remained richly
alive on the original fabric surface.
For several years D ubraw sky used these
techniques to create art quilts. But again,
som ething was missing. “I really wanted my
w ork to reach out and touch people, to have
a human connection, not just hang on a w all.”
Although she had found the dimension and
richness she was seeking w ith fabric, she
had not made the tangible connection be-
tw een w hat she calls “ in-my-head interac-
tion” and true functionality in the finished
product. “ I wanted to create som ething that
people could touch and enjoy. T o me that
w as the missing piece, the idea that art could
be functional. I get such a kick out o f know -
ing [people] are going to
use
it.”
A it quilting turned into full-sized bed
quilts, baby blankets, pillow covers, coasters,
even backpacks and camera straps. She also
began selling her hand-dyed fabrics, along
with patterns and complete quilting kits that
include instructions and pre-cut fabric.
“I try to avoid looking at other quilting,
because I don’t w ant to be too influenced,”
D ubraw sky says. Instead, she draws her
Brisas del Mar
Twinkle
Narrow Stripes
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