Artist and designer Diane Ericson answers five questions about her past and what she likes. For years, she has shared ideas and design techniques as a contributor to the sewing industry through workshops and magazine articles, including several published in Threads. She focuses on how to expand your creative process as you build design skills to express a personal style.

How did you learn to sew?

Diane has a Scandinavian background, and her female relatives from older generations practiced many traditional needlework techniques. Her mother also sewed, and she learned from her. She admits that, in her family, she was a “late bloomer,” who didn’t make her first garment until middle school.

What are you currently sewing?

Diane says she is making an entire wardrobe from scratch. She lost all her belongings in a catastrophic wildfire in 2020, and now is asking herself what she really wants to make and wear. You can hear more about this project in the full podcast episode.

Which fabric do you enjoy sewing the most?

“I am a linen, linen, linen girl all the way. Natural fabrics all the way, but for some reason, I like the weight, drape, and the possibility of linen, all different kinds of linen. I also like the story of what linen is.” Diane notes that she enjoys wearing linen year-round, from lightweight weaves in hot weather to layers of heavier linen when it’s colder.

Which sewing word is your favorite?

“Ease. Easing something in, ease of construction, ease of things flowing together.”

What do you love best about sewing?

Diane says she loves the community of sewing. In addition to teaching problem-solving skills, sewing brings people together in a way that is emotional, she says. She adds that textiles connect people in ways that other materials don’t.

Diane teaches workshops and offers Design Outside the Lines Retreats nationally. She blogs at DianeEricson.com. You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as @DianeEricson.

Diane’s contributions to Threads include:

“Use Fabric Scraps to Make Knotted Buttons and Beads”

“Stenciling Workshop”

“How to Create Fabric Jewelry”