Who is Sonja Lee Barrington?

Sonya Lee Barrington, native of San Francisco, began sewing with her grandmother on a treadle machine when she was young. Grandma Mabel taught her both the basics of thrift with cloth and the love of working with needle and thread. She has been fortunate to have been able to support herself and her family working in the field of the needle arts. First as a partner in a Sandal Shop in the Haight Ashbury (1966 to 1968); then as a partner in a Craft co-op in the trendy shopping area of Sacramento Street (1968-1970) and lastly in a Quilt Shop in the Union Street area (1978-1980). She began using the medium of quilts as her means of expression in 1968 and was a faculty member in the Textile Arts Department of City College of San Francisco from 1975 to 1993.

A sought after teacher and lecturer on her subject, her teaching has brought her to Australia and New Zealand as well as all parts of the United States. A woman of many interests, from 1990 to 2000, Barrington produced a line of hand-dyed and textured fabrics which she used in her work and sold both wholesale and retail to quilters and shops. The 21st century brought her to many Craft shows exhibiting and selling works made using her own line of fabric. She also began her exploration and fascination with wool and the notion of Material Reimagined, Recycled, Reused, and Repurposed. This took its form in the availability of unique fabric that is found in previously worn garments. Mens cotton dress shirts became flouncy half-aprons, toddler’s dresses and linings for the denim bags; denim jeans morphed into several styles and sizes of bags. Wool garments are turned into many different varieties of bags and one of a kind quilts. Currently Barrington sells her Recycled, Reused, and Repurposed products at small local Craft Shows, the Marin County Sunday Farmer’s Market and Grand Lake Oakland Saturday Farmer’s Market. Check San Francisco Bay Area Events for dates.