Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Paulsel.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My great grandmothers and grandmothers crafted to provide for their families out of necessity. Knowing how to sew, quilt, crochet, and embroider were normal things that the women in my family did. Passing down these skills to the next generation was very important. Learning how to embroider at a young age became a tradition. This is where my personal journey begins as my mom taught me to embroider at the age of three. My home was always filled with craft supplies and interesting projects. Being creative and crafty is in my blood. When I was eight years old I wanted to knit and my mom was happy to have someone to teach. Thus began my love of knitting. My first knitted item was a scarf using baby alpaca yarn. During High School, I was a competitive swimmer with USA Swimming leaving me little time to knit. Once that chapter of my life ended I was left with all of this creative energy that needed to be expressed, and knitting became an obsession. Soon I was knitting socks, shawls, fingerless gloves and sweaters. In December 0f 2014 my parents gave me some bare yarn and professional acid dyes to dye my own yarn. My creativity had a new outlet and Night Owl Fibers was born. I love being able to create unique yarn that is used for creating beautiful garments. Dyeing yarn has been a great outlet for me as a dyslexic person. I can express myself better through dyeing yarn than I can with words.
Please tell us about your art.
I am an indie dyer and the sole owner of Night Owl Fibers. I take bare/blank yarn and use professional acid dyes to dye the yarn. I use many different techniques and yarn bases to create beautiful yarn. Think of yarn as my canvas and the acid dyes as my paint. I paint beautiful yarn that is sold and used to create beautiful garments. My customers crochet, knit and weave with my yarn to make socks, shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, sweaters….the list is endless. I am most known for my beautiful self-striping yarn which is a labor of love because it is very time consuming. My inspiration comes from every aspect of my life, from music to nature, pop culture and movies the list is endless.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Being self-employed and starting your own business is a lot of hard work. You have to be disciplined and organized. Set goals and plan your week but be realistic and about how much you can accomplish. Don’t forget to leave time for sick days or days off. Use social media to help advertise your business and let people know who you are as a maker. Get involved in the fibers arts community.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have had the amazing opportunity to vend with Vogue Knitting Live, Stitches Events, DFW Fiber Fest and trunk shows at local yarns stores. I have traveled from the east coast to the west coast and up to the midwest to sell my yarn. It has been so much fun to meet other fiber enthusiasts who share the same passion and excitement for the fiber arts. You can purchase my yarn online at www.nightowlfibers.com. This year I will be vending at Yellow Rose Fiber Festival, Houston Fiber Festival, Fiber Fun in the Sip and East Texas Fiber Festival. I am very active on Instagram, and I also have a podcast on YouTube where I share my personal knitting and shop updates.
Contact Info:
- Address: Houston, TX 77018
- Website: www.nightowlfibers.com
- Email: nightowlfibers@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nightowlfibers
Image Credit:
Rachel Paulsel
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