Wander the exhibits at Audubon’s Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida, and you might find Lauren Austin quietly sketching or observing, gathering inspiration for her next quilt project. As the center’s Artist in Residence, Austin readily incorporates birds into her work—even X-rays of their broken bones! Austin made her first quilt at age…
Author: Erika Zambello
Erika Zambello is a writer, birder, and photographer living and working along the Emerald Coast of Florida. She has a master’s degree in environmental management, where she specialized in ecosystem science and conservation. Her love of the outdoors was inspired by a childhood in Maine, where she returned for her National Geographic Young Explorer grant. In addition to Maine, she has lived in New York, France, Washington, DC, and North Carolina. Erika believes in the power of communicating conservation and exploration, which was the inspiration for One World, Two Feet.
Piecework Magazine – Family Textiles Inspired by Maine Lakes
Lakes and ponds define my family’s best memories. My father passed his childhood summers on Maine’s Damariscotta Lake, and we still spend as many weekends as possible on Maine shorelines. Creating textiles and garments intertwines memories with the yarn itself, causing bursts of remembrance whenever I see, touch, or wear my projects. After a summer…
Spin Off Magazine – Spinning Fiber from Hair Sheep: Adding Texture with Rare Breeds
“I’m in over my head,” I said aloud as Barbados Blackbelly fleece—a mix of hair and wool—dried on a table on the back deck. When someone says “sheep fleece,” what pops into your mind? Is it a woolly, soft expanse of fiber? Springy to the touch? This was definitely not it. The dark hair and…
E. Zambello Writing and Art 