RWC employee to share fiber art in August
Mathews resident inspired by natural surroundings
Hannah Sommerfeldt grew up in the Middle Peninsula around of lot of different fiber animals – sheep, alpacas and even a llama. So maybe it’s not surprising that her natural surroundings inspired her to be a fiber artist.“I also remember driving through fields of cotton when I was little,” she said. “My mother always used to crochet so I learned to love fiber materials early.”
Sommerfeldt’s day job is working in the Culinary Services Department at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury, but her favorite pastime is crocheting, knitting, dyeing and spinning fiber. Her work will be on display as RWC’s featured artist in August. “I mostly make baby blankets, hats and booties,” she said. “I have a lot of family members, so if I hear somebody is having a baby, I make them something.”
This will be Sommerfeldt’s first art exhibition. In addition to some of her creations, she’ll also have a spinning wheel and hand spindle on display.Not only does she use nature’s bounty to make baby clothes, she also uses natural dyes such as onion skin, coffee grinds and re-used tea bags. The most adventurous dye she’s used is jello.
“I can dip my hands into the natural dyes because there are no chemicals,” she said. “The tea bags yield a muddy, but beautiful color. I even got a green color one time from onion skins.”
Residents and community members are invited to view Sommerfeldt’s fiber exhibition from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily throughout August in RWC’s Gallery Hall.