Every Which Way

Christa Wissler

Interview by C. VanWinkle
July 7, 2025

What was the prompt that you responded to? Can you describe it for me?

It was a wall sculpture that looked to me like sheets of metal that were bent and painted. The shape looked almost floral in nature, in an abstract way.

How did it strike you?

Well, I'm someone that works almost exclusively with patchwork, like putting fabric together, working with yarn. This felt like my aesthetic. Even though somebody was working with different materials, it felt familiar and comfortable.

That’s cool that you got something that was already relatable in some way.

I don’t know how the artist created what they did, but to see something that was maybe comparable was a surprise. For me, it's always intuitive and it's always abstract. No matter what I do, whether it's sewing, crocheting, painting... I layer. And I felt like that was what was going on with my prompt.

How did you figure out how to begin your own piece?

What I usually do is go to color and texture right away. I put all my materials out on my table, look at what I have, and think about what I might want to do with it. I knew that patchwork was going to work, not just because that's what I do, but because it felt right for the prompt. At first, I was planning on making a fitted jumpsuit, but I guess it felt more right to make a dress, so that's the direction that I went. And as usual when I do things, it just did itself.

That's awesome. Some people have a specific vision in mind at the beginning, and they make that thing that they intended to. But I'm guessing you're not that kind of artist.

Not so much, although it does vary. Sometimes something will just really strike me. All of the materials that I use are either thrifted or donated by my local community, so to a certain degree I'm limited with the resources I have. But I actually like that. It adds to the creativity. I couldn't work if I had a studio filled with shelves and shelves of different colors of fabric. I know I have a certain amount of materials, and it's “What am I going to do with what I have?”

Sometimes I know exactly what I'm going to make and it turns out pretty much like I intended. Sometimes it changes throughout the process. And sometimes it's not anything like what I thought it was going to be.

And with this project, there's no expectation of what it needs to be. You know, it’s not a paid gig for a client; you get to do whatever you want.

I love that. That’s what drew me to this. And I was a writing major, so I already knew about the whole idea of parlor games. That really appealed to me too.

That's perfect, no wonder you wanted to do this! You provided an image of yourself wearing this piece, so it is a wearable garment? Not just a work of art?

It's a little bit of both. I always like to work with a “form follows function” aesthetic. I do make clothing to sell, and if it doesn't feel good to wear then I don't want to sell it. I always make sure that everything I make is comfortable and wearable and durable.

Do you usually make your own clothes?

Yeah, I've been doing this for a long time. I started at a pretty young age. I'm very tall, so I found that pants were never long enough. I started to alter my clothes when I was a teenager and then it slowly evolved to the point where I now probably make 90% of the clothes that I wear.

That’s awesome!

I love that if there's a function or something happening, I don't have to go shopping. I can just make what I want to wear. It's pretty freeing.

Is there a particular function or event or situation to which you would wear this piece?

I've had gallery shows and I think it would be pretty cool for that. I would definitely wear it to something like that.

For sure. So you have a writing background, and you paint, and you knit and crochet and make clothes. How did you know what medium to work in for this?

Well, I felt like I wanted to make a wearable piece of art because that's the main thing that I generally do, and I felt like that’s how I could express what resonated with me when I saw the prompt. Because it was more sculptural to me, I wanted to respond with a 3D piece of my own.

As for painting, I don’t make paintings like what you’d hang on a wall; I tend to paint more on fabric. Sometimes I do collage as well, but I think I basically work in collage no matter what I’m doing. That’s how I work in general.

You know, some sculptors say that they take a giant piece of marble, see what’s underneath, and carve everything away to reveal it. I tend to work in the opposite way. I add and layer and put together until it feels done and cohesive.

You mentioned that patchwork is a common theme for you. How else does this piece relate to the rest of your work?

I do tend to use a lot of color, which kind of grew naturally. There was a point when I was using natural dyes to dye my own fabric, so I was definitely more neutral-toned. That was before I was getting donations and thrifted stuff. Once people started to give me things at the beginning of covid, I had to work with what I was getting. Some of those things were more colorful than what I was used to, so that's probably part of my use of color now. It just evolved over time.

Now people donate so much that I have more than I can use. Seriously! People don't always take me up on this because they usually just need things out of their storage area or whatever, but I offer donation back to them. They can have a garment or something as a trade.

Sounds like a great system!

It also makes handmade goods, which might be out of a person's price range, more accessible. Sometimes handmade goods aren’t accessible to everyone, and I think I've found a way to work through that for some people.

That’s a good point. You hear the word “custom” or “handmade” or “bespoke” and that automatically means it’s expensive.

Obviously, when you spend X amount of hours working on something, you have to value yourself and your time, but by that same token, not everyone could spend $700 on something that they might not even wear that much.

How did you like working from a prompt? Had you done that before?

Not with visual art, but I have done that with writing. I went to school for writing so that was something that I did all the time, but never with art. I actually really, really liked it. I like to work spontaneously, and I tend to work well with a deadline, so this checked all the boxes. I really enjoyed it.

Now that you are on this side of our process, what advice would you give to a new person getting their prompt today?

Well, something I've learned over the years, which is still a lesson that I continue to have to learn, is not to take yourself too seriously. Just get in there and start and see what you come up with. You know, if you allow yourself to, I think you'll have a lot of fun with it. I did.

Call Number: Y129VA | Y130FA.wiEve

Christa Wissler: I create textile and crochet apparel, accessories, and art using only donated, discarded, and found materials. In doing so I aim to elevate and find beauty in the disregarded. For me, my art is a form of therapy, distraction, and self-actualization. https://www.wildchildfibers.com Instagram: @wildchildfibers