My name is Wendy Mamattah I am the owner and CEO of Braid and stitch and an award winning quilt and fiber artist living in Portland Oregon. Originally a Journalist from Ghana in West Africa I have always loved working with fabrics, as a child as early as age five, in primary school I often received prizes for needlework instead of English or Geography which made me realize that there was a part inside of me that loved to create.
Back in the 70’s, sewing was not really a lucrative venture then, and dress makers in Ghana really never made that much money which led me to focus more on schooling to become a Journalist. After moving to America I discovered that Art and creativity paid a lot here if you had the right market audience, but it actually took me a lot more years to follow my childhood dream.
The day starts with my creativity kicking in right away, and then I am just dancing with fabric, and I love that! Creativity is inherent in every individual, you just have to wake it up sometimes, there are lots of people who have made their creativity go to sleep and just can not find a way to wake it up and that is not good since it lets the fire in you die while you are still alive.
My work continues to evolve in both subject and technique. Recurring throughout in strong, clear color, texture, visual impact, and meticulous detail. I love the colors of the world as it is. I love the colors that can be imposed on the real world to see it in a new way. The world is enlivened not only by color but also by its textures. I want to get in close and observe the nearly hidden textures of all of the creations of nature. I want to climb up high and see the equally hidden textures of the world as a bird might see it. I want to examine the faces and postures of the people who share the world with me.
The current works on this website depict a lot of Africa. I love the vibrant colors of African fabrics and how they pop to the eye, most of my quilts tell a story, and a lot of my story’s represent my African heritage which I carry with me every where I go, I feel when a quilt does not tell a story no matter how simple it might be it really does not have value, since quilts of old were sentimental pieces.
My quilts sing and dance a lot to the viewer, and have lots of character and dimension as well as a very unique look which are the differences my choices of fabric make. Beading and painting really accentuates my work.
At Braid and Stitch we are open to make commissioned art quilts, specifically to fit a buyers description, dimensions and taste, no works are ever made the same in order to promote uniqueness in our work. In the near future there will be a wearable art line which will be in Ethnic vein.