Macrame, weaving, and fiber art

San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands hold a special place in my heart. I grew up going to summer camp on Orcas Island, and fell in love with the islands and the water.

About

Kristi Nakata

Kristi Nakata (she/her) is a Yonsei (fourth generation) Japanese American fiber artist born and raised in the Seattle area, on Duwamish and Coast Salish land. Kristi creates macraweave wall hangings combining techniques of macramé and weaving. Inspired by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, she creates mountainscapes and abstract interpretations of the colors of our region. Her macramé products include checkered bags, coasters, keychains, plant hangers, wall hangings, and more. Kristi's artistic journey began with oil painting and watercolor, and she dabbled in many arts and crafts forms until she found fiber arts. During the day, she works in nonprofit communications and marketing.

Kristi Nakata

describes their creative process

I usually work with clients who commission a specific landscape that means a lot to them. They'll bring inspiration photos for me to work off of, then I'll sketch out an outline and pull some colors for the weaving. Once that's approved, I'll start by outlining the macramé, weaving in the wool roving and thick art yarn, and finish up the piece by cleaning up the back and tucking in loose ends. When I am developing my own designs, I tend to look to iconic Pacific Northwest landscapes, find inspiration photos that would work well with the medium, and ideate and sketch until the final product is complete!

Discover the creative processes of all of our artists interviewed so far...