The artistic journey of Niraja Lorenz has been shaped by a magnetic pull of nature and color. In her youth, with a table loom and a footlocker of yarn, she traveled around the US exploring national parks and wilderness areas. Later, she earned a BA in biology and a PhD in human experimental psychology. In 1994, after an inspiring visit to a fabric store, she bought a second-hand sewing machine and a bag of scraps. Her love for tiny piecing bloomed.
In 2007, Niraja began studying with Nancy Crow. Her work quickly evolved and, after receiving a Hallie Ford Fellowship in the Visual Arts in 2019, she retired from 20 years in social science research. She now devotes her life to nature-inspired, intricately-pieced, and highly-textured quilts. She continues to explore the limitless possibilities of strip-piecing and is finding joy in mentoring others.
Niraja has exhibited her work internationally since 2015, winning numerous awards and grants, including: 2025 Best of Show at New Legacies, 2025 Award of Excellence at Form Not Function, 2024 Exhibition & Documentation Grant from the Ford Family Foundation, 2023 Sebastian Family Award for Color Artistry at Visions Interpretations, and 2022 Best of Show at Quilt Visions. Her work has been featured in several magazines including Quilting Arts, SAQA Journal, and Patchwork Professional.
Workshop: Strip-Piece Your World!
Explore the possibilities of strip-piecing with fiber artist, Niraja Lorenz. Learn how this apparently simple technique for creating striped fabric leads to a vast variety of textures and forms that can be used to create emotional and physical depth in your art. This workshop will be both fun and intense, demanding and playful. Energize your quilting with this meditative technique used to create both abstract and realistic forms and textures. Basic sewing machine skills (straight stitch only) and comfort with the use of a rotary cutter are suggested.
During the workshop, students will gain new skills and develop a greater understanding of composition. They will construct 8 to12 distinct, textural units which can then be combined into a sampler or used in a larger piece.
- Learn the basics of strip-piecing
- Practice techniques for creating lines and geometric shapes, herringbone and diamond patterns, as well as organic shapes
- Create ¼ to ⅛ inch lines
- Explore gradations in color, value, and/or size
- Acquire a greater understanding of the importance of proportion
- Expand your skills with daily demos and exercises
- Gain inspiration from presentations of completed quilts exemplifying the exercises
Skill level: Good machine skills and comfortable using rotary cutter
