Meet…Dixon Fiber!
Hello! My name is Spencer, and I’m the maker behind Dixon Fiber. I’m a southern-raised fiber artist and pattern designer based in Colorado Springs.
My work consists primarily of crochet tapestries rooted in American Traditional tattoo imagery.
I’ve been crocheting for the better part of 5 years now, but I’ve been focusing on tapestries for the last 2.5 years.
Your crochet work is the only one of its kind that we’ve had at the market so far. How did you arrive at this specific medium and style?
During the pandemic, I ransacked my mom’s craft bin and started learning to crochet. I learned the basics on beanies, scarves, and blankets, but I pivoted to tapestry crochet once I realized how endless the possibilities were to what could be created with it.
I’m heavily influenced by the art that’s come out of American Traditional tattooing, and the style translates well to other mediums. There’s such a vast history of flash to reference and build off of, that it’s been hard to run out of inspiration for new pieces to create.
What kind of work goes into each piece?
While the crocheting itself takes up the bulk of the work, I design all of my own patterns to work from before making any new tapestries.
All of my work is hand-stitched, and the finished pieces each get hung from dowels, the backs lined with fabric, and steamed before coming to the markets!
Depending on the size, a finished piece could take me anywhere from 5 to 60 hours of work.
What’s been the most satisfying moment so far in doing this work as a business?
Having opportunities to connect and collaborate with other artists and small business owners has been so rewarding! I’ve been able to do art trades with local tattoo artists, host events with other creatives in town, and build community around art!
Colorado has such a rich pool of kind and talented people that help lift each other up.
What are some of the things you hear/experience when sharing your work at markets? Any memorable stories?
I always love getting to connect with other fiber artists at the markets, especially the older generations of fiber artists.
Getting to chat about projects we’re working on, sharing pictures of finished pieces, and hearing the different stories about how people found crochet or knitting keeps me inspired to continue creating and sharing my work!
Is there anything you’re focusing on as we enter a new year and season of markets?
I’m focused on larger scale work this year! Collections of pieces, larger tapestries, collaborations with other artists, and expanding my pattern offerings.
I’d also love to work with local businesses in creating custom, branded tapestries!
Dixon Fiber’s Instagram is the best place to find their work and keep up with which markets they’ll be attending throughout the year!
And if you crochet and are interested in making your own tapestry,
you can browse their patterns on Etsy!
