Abstracted Fibers: Recent Works by Ineke Thomas

Image credit: Installation view, Abstracted Fibers: Recent Works by Ineke Thomas,

August 2016

Ineke Thomas was born in Holland and lived part of her childhood on the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia. A relationship with a pen pal that began in 1962 inspired her to move to the United States in 1964. It was here in North Carolina that she met her husband. Thomas has two daughters and four grandchildren. She earned her Masters in French/Education from Appalachian State University and her BA’s in French/Education and German/Education from UNC-Greensboro. Her hobbies include gardening, quilting, and creating her mixed media fibers works.

“Manipulating textiles and fibers is key to me having a great day. My connection with these mediums started with creating quilts. The process of cutting fabric and transforming pieces into finished products gave me a sense of great accomplishment and satisfaction.

After 35 years of quilt making, I took the leap to constructing abstract fiber art while referring to my quilting techniques. Today, i’m working with a variety of additional materials that extend beyond textiles. I’m always infusing odds and ends as I investigate new ways of how to combine mixed media materials with fibers. A few of these materials include metal, pottery, cardboard, feathers, buttons, small pebbles, and rusted objects, to name a few” Ineke Thomas.