About Deb

Debbie Bone-Harris is a textile artist whose wealth of design and creativity comes from a sensual love of materials. Her passion for textiles developed during a childhood spent on a sunny breakfast nook with her grandma, filled with an old Singer sewing machine and scraps of fabric. Deb’s lifelong love of sewing and textiles stems from her passion for juxtaposing embroidery with unique custom designed garments and encrusted surfaces. The sewing machine is her tool of choice, while ribbons, fabrics, glorious threads, and fibers create the palette she works with.

Debbie’s Master of Arts thesis was “Chasing a Dream: Explorations in Embroidered Wearable Art”, where she studied some of the famous couture designers specializing in embroidery. Embroidery, whether by hand, machine or free motion, is more than just surface design in Debbie’s collections; it is an integral and decorative element in her designs. She regards dressmaking, particularly wearables, as an art. She has received numerous national and international awards at juried wearable art exhibitions and fashion shows. She has emceed textile venues and has taught at sewing shops in the Pacific Northwest and around the country, specializing in embroidery, surface embellishments, and vintage ribbon work. Embellishment and surface encrustation are just a few of her signature areas of expertise. Debbie can usually be seen with a needle in her hand when she isn’t at her sewing machine.

Deb has been a Clothing and Textile Advisor for WSU since 1999, a member of the American Sewing Guild, Visionary Textile Artists (VisTA), Beading Buddies, and other local sewing groups.  Her studio and home are in Kennewick, Washington.