TEXTILES
After making a simple square block quilt for my daughter, I quickly caught the quilting bug but needed more than just following patterns.
A newly established synagogue needed a portable and lightweight Ark surround to be stored each week in a rented room at a local church. Dorothy Thursby and I were commissioned to make a triptych tapestry. When the congregation found a permanent building, the new sanctuary was designed around it.
JUDAICA TEXTILES
Miriam crossing the Red Sea with her Timbrel. Tapestry laid flat before being made into the final Torah cover. Velvet, gold cording, and tiny bells on the timbrel. Hand embroidery and machine quilting. Congregation Kol Emeth, Palo Alto, CA By Debra Winston
Miriam crossing the Red Sea with her Timbrel, after being made into the Torah cover. Congregation Kol Emeth, Palo Alto, CA By Debra Winston
Date Palm, Goat, Flaming Hamsa, and Pomegranate Ark Cover. Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in Palo Alto, CA. By Debra Winston and Dorothy Thursby
Peaceable Dove and Moon Torah Cover for Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School. By Debra Winston and Dorothy Thursby
Ark Surround for Congregation Etz Chayim, Palo Alto, California. This triptych of 3 quilts was commissioned by the congregation when they were in a temporary location at a church. it needed to be easily moved for storage when not in use. This quilt was relocated when the synagogue moved into their permanent home. It is the anchoring element in the sanctuary. By Debra Winston and Dorothy Thursby, Photo by Ron Shipper
Photo of initial design charrette (mock-up) enlarged and superimposed over the temporary space by Ron Shipper. Ark Surround for Congregation Etz Chayim, Palo Alto, California. By Debra Winston and Dorothy Thursby
Abstract Torah Covers Congregation Etz Chayim in Palo Alto, CA. By Debra Winston and Dorothy Thursby
Similar in theme to Miriam crossing the Red Sea, however the fabrics are embellished with metallic gold and the roiling sea is emphasized. Wall hanging for Congregation Beth Shalom in Overland Park, Kansas. By Debra Winston
SCARF DESIGNS
It was the Friday before Labor Day, and I didn’t have an appointment, but I walked in to the prestigious Parsons School of Design with my portfolio, and they immediately admitted me. I started in the Fashion Design program that Tuesday.
Two years into the program, I got a summer internship with Ralph Lauren Women’s Design in the art department. This turned into 13 years, progressing from clothing design, where I translated Navajo blanket patterns into sweaters and skirts, Fair-Isle sweaters, all accessories, and finally to Design Director of scarves. Being a scarf designer combined all my skills: painting, textiles, and color. It also allowed me to travel twice a year to work with the legendary print houses and manufacturers in Como and Milan, Italy, France, and England.
Ralph Lauren clothing based on my iconic Scarf Designs.