Karen Borga
Fiber Artist
My Collaboration with Nature
Through fleece, fiber, and natural materials, my work emerges through a collaboration with nature.
Studio
Rooted in generations of handwork, my practice explores the transformation of raw materials through weaving, spinning, dyeing, and feltmaking. Each piece begins with curiosity and unfolds through a collaboration between maker, material, and nature.
Fiber
Every piece begins with fiber.
Raw fleece, yarn, and natural materials are gathered, studied, and explored before they become cloth, felt, or finished work. Through observation, experimentation, and making, I seek to understand the character of each material and the possibilities it holds.
These studies form the foundation of my weaving, feltmaking, natural dye, and textile work.
Notes from the Studio
Working With a Jacob Cross Fleece
I brought home three new fleeces from the New Jersey Sheep & Wool Festival, and this Jacob/Valais cross immediately caught my attention with its unusual color, curl and texture.
Taking It Apart
Designing the WOOLBORNE Petite from scratch has meant plenty of trial and error. Fleece resists, cork needs support, zippers misbehave, and sometimes the only way forward is to rip it out and try again.
Room on the Loom
Nine yards of warp gave me more than enough room to weave towels—it gave me room to experiment. By leaving part of the outcome undecided, a practical project became an exploration of color, structure, rhythm, and possibility.