(Photo courtesy of Red Chair Gallery)

Stephanie Stanley started weaving 30 years ago when she was inspired by a neighbor’s loom in San Luis Obispo, California. “Textiles are part of my heritage. Both my grandmothers were skilled in a broad range of textile and fiber arts. My grandfather taught how to make and engineer spinning wheels at a technical college.”

Fascinated by cloth since childhood, Stanley pursued many fiber techniques until she sat at a loom and threw a shuttle. “I felt like I finally found where I belong.” The fact that she was working 50 hours a week as an attorney was only a slight deterrent. Her spare time was quickly taken up with weaving and when she couldn’t weave she read everything she could about weaving, color and design.

Twenty years ago Stanley made her way to Central Oregon. “Moving to Bend gave me the opportunity to focus on weaving full time. My house quickly filled up with looms and yarn. My husband is very understanding.”

Early in her weaving career she made the decision to focus on wearable pieces and occasional select pieces for the home. Yards and yards of yarn is wound on her looms to create scarves, shawls, ponchos and garments. She was thrilled that one of her jackets was juried in to a fashion show for a international weaving convention in Reno Nevada this summer. “Garments are the most exciting pieces for me to design and the most frustrating. It takes me several months to make a jacket.”

Weaving for Stanley is a metaphor for life. It has been an exciting adventure of meeting and making interesting friends and inspiring a lifelong habit of researching and learning. After trying a variety of venues including wholesale sales to retail stores, galleries and art shows Stanley’s work found a home at the Red Chair Gallery in Bend where she is a focus artist for the month of October. She participates in a few art shows a year including with the Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Guild.