Bio & FAQs

At eight years old, Amber D. Coppings a.k.a ambermayhem started creating "The World's Largest Rug" using her newly acquired skill of crocheting. Well, that never was finished, but it did jump start her interest in all things colorful and full of texture. Since then, Amber has pursued her dreams by earning a BFA in Studio Art specializing in Fiber Art and Art Therapy. Amber's interests have led her to explore fiber art installations, shibori fabric dyeing, art-to-wear, fiber sculpture, knitting wire and all sorts of other creative endeavors. Currently, Amber is a member of the Board of Directors for the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh and is the Outreach Coordinator for the organization. This website is one manifestation of Amber's artisan business and directly supports her love of learning and creating. Thanks for looking!

What is textile art?

Textile art is art created either using traditional fiber construction techniques such as weaving, crocheting, etc, or traditional fiber materials like yarns, thread and so on. Textile art is also using nontraditional materials with traditional methods such as knitting with wire (see jewelry products), or traditional materials used in unusual ways (imagine a cloth sculpture bigger than your house).

Where can I learn more about Textile Art?

Amber teaches at many Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania arts organizations, schools and for private parties. Please contact her for details at 412-404-8691, or info@ambercoppings.com.

Other resources include www.fiberartspgh.org , FiberArt magazine and American Craft magazine.

Fine Silver vs. Sterling silver

The difference between the two is that Fine silver is essentially only composed of the element of silver (less than 1% of any other metal). The benefits of fine silver are that it does not tarnish as easily and more readily shines like a precious metal should. Sterling silver has up to 5% of another metal (copper usually) to make silver a harder metal.

Gold-filled wire vs. Gold plated wire

Gold-filled wire is created by taking 14 kt. gold and heating it and bonding it to another metal (usually brass). The finished product has a surface layer of gold of the appropriate karat weight which is very thick compared to gold plate, gold electroplate or rolled gold plate. The quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total product. There is 100 times more gold in 14 kt. Gold- filled (rolled gold) than in gold plated brass.

Shibori:

Shibori is the general term for hundreds of individual traditional Japanese fabric dyeing methods. Stitching, clamping, wrapping and folding are some of the methods shibori dyers use to make design on cloth. Shibori also refers to the 3-D manipulation of the cloth during the dye process that can be used as a sculptural method.

I love the idea of people wearing what I make. I imagine what kind of people would wear a certain piece, how happy they will be in it... sound cheezy, but that's ok. One of the interpretations for Shibori (the Japanese textile dyeing techniques I use) is "Memory Cloth". Since, shibori is essentially creating design on fabric using 3-D shapes, memory cloth come from the idea that each textile, as it is being manipulated, becomes embedded with the artist's memories, especially those being thought about or being made during the creation of the piece. This also allows for a continuous transferral of memory from the wearer...

I think that is very poetic and is one of the reason why this art form appeals to me.

Recommended care:

For jewelry: Keep jewelry in it's own bag, or box. It will be less likely to tarnish if it is by itself. Use a buffing cloth to remove easy tarnish. Use a cloth regularly and you won't have to do anything else. However, sometimes, it may need a little more TLC. Since most of the focal pieces and beads are porous and nature-made, use only gentle cleansers when necessary to prevent damaging the piece.

For fabrics: Please follow the care directions on the tag that comes with the item.

If you would like details on this website's policies, go to the Details page.