In our “Meet the Maker” series, we’ll introduce you to local personalities from each of the towns where Nest offices are located. In our technology driven world, it’s nice to meet people who are still physically making tactile things by hand. These makers enrich our communities and color the landscape of our towns. For this installment, we visit a textile designer in her home studio in Asheville, NC.
+ LAURA EVANS, Textile Designer
We sit in the sun-drenched living room of Laura Evans’ Asheville, North Carolina, home. The room is bright and open, with only a few carefully curated objects. Evans sits on the couch between some of her latest creations, pillows with bold, graphic prints and strong lines. With a warm laugh she describes her style as, “Ugly pretty. A fine line between weird and beautiful.” We find it striking and are eager to learn more about her process.
Growing up in Georgia, Evans was always drawn to art. Upon entering college, she considered going into fashion or interior design, but decided that landscape architecture was a more practical application of art. After earning her undergraduate degree in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia, she moved to Brooklyn at the age of 22, where she met and married her husband. Evans worked as a Landscape Architect for six years, but the luster eventually wore off. She realized the career was essentially a desk job, keeping her chained to a computer instead of creating art.
She and her husband were ready for a change. Seeking a new pace and place to call home, they settled upon Asheville. Not having jobs at first felt scary. Not having a community of friends surrounding her felt lonely, but this quiet, empty space allowed her time to focus on what would make her happy, what she wanted to do in life as an artist.
An unplanned spark of inspiration occurred when she was shopping for a shower curtain for their new home. When she couldn’t find one she liked, she decided to make her own. Evans realized working with her hands and allowing herself to make something completely from her own headspace was gratifying. This creative freedom was the thing she had been craving. She launched an Etsy site that carried shower curtains and pillows. She approached this new venture with humility, “The first thing you do will be cliche.” Luckily, she persisted and launched her own website and product line called OUTRA, which now features her ever-evolving collection of small-batch items. Pillows remain at the forefront, while shower curtains, quilts, wall-hangings, and small clutch purses each make their appearance.
Her process begins with precise renderings that harken back to her architectural drafting days—sketch, sketch, sketch until the design is perfect. Then she decides how the pattern will translate onto fabric. Each piece is carefully crafted from organic cotton, with distinctive lines quilted into the fabric to give it a three-dimensional aspect. Finally, the color portion of the design is outlined with colored pencils, then hand-painted with wash-safe, non-toxic paints, and heat set with an iron. This intricate process is part of what makes Evans content, “It allows me to tune out. I put music on, paint, lose myself a bit. It feels meditative.” In her home studio, she’s found her happiness. She’s passionately making pieces that will endure in both wear and interest.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
We ask each of our makers to share what’s in their toolbox—the five things they can’t live without:
1. Organic Cotton Cloth
2. Scissors
3. Oil Pencil
4. Cloth Paints
5. Pencil Sharpener
To learn more about Evans and OUTRA, visit outratextiles.com
We shared this story with you in our Spring/Summer 2017 Issue of NEST Magazine. To view the full issue, click here.