Marianne Ferlazzo

Marianne Ferlazzo grew up surrounded by creativity. Her parents owned an alterations and monogramming shop in Florida, where she was exposed to the vibrant fabric patterns of Lilly Pulitzer alongside fine linens and shirts embellished with embroidered names and initials. Creativity extended beyond the family business as well. Her mother explored a variety of artistic hobbies, including fabric collage, while her father remained creative throughout his life, taking up stained glass and mosaic art well into his 90s.

Marianne learned to sew as a child and continues to work with fiber today, creating home décor, small gifts, quilts, and more while developing her hand embroidery skills. She especially enjoys finding new possibilities in materials that might otherwise be discarded. Scraps of fabric are sewn together to create entirely new textiles, often resulting in unexpected combinations of colors, patterns, and textures.

Very little goes to waste in Marianne’s creative practice. She saves threads, yarn, ribbons, and other small fibers in an “ort” jar—a collection of the tiny remnants left behind after stitching. Thrifted jeans and men’s shirts also become creative materials: shirt fabric, buttons, and clothing labels find their way into quilts; cuffs become small pouches or needlebooks; and even jean belt loops can be transformed into jewelry.

Through this resourceful approach, Marianne finds inspiration in giving familiar materials a new purpose and discovering what can emerge when unexpected fabrics and fibers come together.