Elena Murphy - Fabric Artist

In the August 2021 Artist Spotlight, we put the spotlight on Elena Murphy, local quilter and fabric artist. Below, please find an excerpt from Elena’s spotlight interview.

Tell us about your art! 

I am a fabric person! I love fabrics of all kinds and colors. I especially like designing my projects with fabrics chosen for the individual I am creating the product for. I make custom tote bags, memory bags and many other small bags. I also make baby blankets, small quilts, landscape quilts and recently started to do some felting projects.

 I try to make beauty with fabric.

Elena

What inspires you? 

I am inspired by the fabrics themselves. I use that inspiration to create a project as I combine the beautiful colors and designs. If someone asks me to make a tote bag, I ask them what colors they like and to tell me about their favorite things. If I am making a baby blanket, I want to know if there is a “theme” to the baby’s room and use that as the key to my design.

How did you get started in making your art? What drew you into the field?

I started to sew on the machine when I was fairly young. My mother was an excellent seamstress and was inspirational. I made some of my own clothes and even had a sewing machine in nursing school, where I made my own prom dress. Limited funds was the inspiration at that time!

When I had my own children, I made them many little outfits: christening dresses, overalls, polo shirts, Halloween costumes, etc. Eventually, they outgrew the desire for homemade clothing so I started to make bags. Many of my Medway neighbors and good friends were also into sewing - we tried and made many new projects together.