Five Minutes with a Friend: Malka Dubrawsky
Eighth-grade art class introduced Malka Dubrawsky to art and she hasn’t been the same. She went on to graduate from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Studio Art, focused on printmaking. It was being at home with children that pushed her into working with textiles and it was that interest in fabric that led to an exploration of dyeing and patterning fabric.
For several years Malka worked primarily as a fibre artist and was included in prestigious shows and publications among which were Visions, Quilt National, and Fiberarts: Design Book 7.
Fast forward a few years and she is making more functional textiles, designing fabric for Moda and Robert Kaufman Fabrics, teaching and lecturing, and writing two books, Color Your Cloth: A Quilter’s Guide to Dyeing and Patterning Fabric and Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration.
We sat down with Malka to learn more about her journey in textiles ahead of her Meet the Maker event on 24 July 2024.
What is your first memory of a textile?
When I was very young, I had a duvet cover that I was attached to as a bit of a security blanket. It had lovely roses on it and just thinking about it makes me feel a bit warm inside.
Can you put into words what you love about textiles?
I can put it into many words. But, more succinctly, I love that textiles are so many things in our lives. They cover us and warm us and protect us and delight us. They are symbols of who we are as individuals and who we are as a culture. They're a medium for personal expression as well as an opportunity to declare how we feel about others. All that from bits of fibre that are spun or woven together.
If you make textiles, where is your most inspiring place to create?
My favourite space to create is my second floor studio with the door closed.
What has inspired you recently? This could be a book, film or an exhibition you have seen or an artist / designer you admire. Lately I've been very inspired by the painter Rosemary Vanns. I love the freedom and playfulness of her pieces.
What is your most cherished textile, and why?
My most cherished textiles live in a box. They are a selection of the clothes I made for my three children when they were young. I'm saving them for the next generation.
Where did you learn your craft?
Despite having a Bachelor's in Studio Art, I consider myself mostly self taught because my degree was in printmaking and fiber and textiles were not a part of the curriculum. I learned about dyeing and stitching and sewing primarily from books.
Meet Malka Dubrawsky on 24 July 2024 in our Meet the Maker series, one hour online events with textile makers consisting of talk, demonstration and Q&A session.
Find out more and book your ticket:
www.selvedge.org/collections/meet-the-maker
For several years Malka worked primarily as a fibre artist and was included in prestigious shows and publications among which were Visions, Quilt National, and Fiberarts: Design Book 7.
Fast forward a few years and she is making more functional textiles, designing fabric for Moda and Robert Kaufman Fabrics, teaching and lecturing, and writing two books, Color Your Cloth: A Quilter’s Guide to Dyeing and Patterning Fabric and Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration.
We sat down with Malka to learn more about her journey in textiles ahead of her Meet the Maker event on 24 July 2024.
What is your first memory of a textile?
When I was very young, I had a duvet cover that I was attached to as a bit of a security blanket. It had lovely roses on it and just thinking about it makes me feel a bit warm inside.
Can you put into words what you love about textiles?
I can put it into many words. But, more succinctly, I love that textiles are so many things in our lives. They cover us and warm us and protect us and delight us. They are symbols of who we are as individuals and who we are as a culture. They're a medium for personal expression as well as an opportunity to declare how we feel about others. All that from bits of fibre that are spun or woven together.
If you make textiles, where is your most inspiring place to create?
My favourite space to create is my second floor studio with the door closed.
What has inspired you recently? This could be a book, film or an exhibition you have seen or an artist / designer you admire. Lately I've been very inspired by the painter Rosemary Vanns. I love the freedom and playfulness of her pieces.
What is your most cherished textile, and why?
My most cherished textiles live in a box. They are a selection of the clothes I made for my three children when they were young. I'm saving them for the next generation.
Where did you learn your craft?
Despite having a Bachelor's in Studio Art, I consider myself mostly self taught because my degree was in printmaking and fiber and textiles were not a part of the curriculum. I learned about dyeing and stitching and sewing primarily from books.
Meet Malka Dubrawsky on 24 July 2024 in our Meet the Maker series, one hour online events with textile makers consisting of talk, demonstration and Q&A session.
Find out more and book your ticket:
www.selvedge.org/collections/meet-the-maker