Susan Leslie Lumsden has been a life-long sewer — having made her first project at age 5. She married young and found those sewing skills kept her in new clothes despite tight finances. Later, after the kids were grown, the family marketing business was sold and finally some time to call her own, Susan dove back into her creative side. Over the years she has developed her stitching skills to a professional level. For several years Susan took classes in clay sculpture — loving the textural play in her fingers. In 1997 she saw a piece of fiber art and realized she had found her medium. She hit the floor running and has never looked back. Today she is a studio artist working out of an old storefront in downtown Thayer, MO. The town’s old newspaper office darkroom is now her dye kitchen — those old sinks being perfect for her projects. Her 38-foot-long design wall is the ideal place to try out or tweak her various designs. Her musician husband often serenades her with one of his tunes or plays jazz on his 7 string guitar while she places her quilt quadrants on the wall. Together they call this “Magic Time.” It is a very special moment where the quilt takes on a beingness (or soul) and the conversation Susan started is taken over by the quilt. Susan’s work has traveled the world and collector’s are found throughout the U.S. Much of her marketing efforts have been focused through art festivals and juried exhibitions which has meant lots of time on the road. Today she stays home more so she can care for her ageing parents who have become a part of their household. Susan has earned many awards for her work including the 2007 Niche Award, had her work featured as the image on the Missouri Arts Awards poster plus had several pieces in the Art in Embassies Program through the State Department. She has developed a reputation as a skilled curator and educator—the latter noted for the level of enthusiasm she excites in others.
http://www.roundbobbin.com/SPR10-Lumsden.html
Website
http://rebelquilter.com
