Roxane Lessa began her professional life as a ballet dancer, and has danced and taught all over the country. After her dance career ended, she decided to pursue her other passions: fabric and design. Her first design teacher was her mother, who brought her to many art museums and the decorators’ building in Boston, to chose fabric samples for her clients. Later on, Roxane pursued a degree in Costume Design and Textiles, and has made one-of-a-kind art wear for clients.
After relocating to Raleigh, N.C. with her family in 1997, Roxane took her first quilting class and was instantly hooked. Since then, she has completed many quilts for clients, including four commissioned quilts. She has shown her work at the prestigious International Quilt Festival in Houston, the World Quilt and Textile Exhibition, and the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, where she won the best amateur entry for art wear in the jacket/vest category. In 2003, she won a first place ribbon for “Vessel of Fire” and a third place ribbon for “Triangle Happy” at the North Carolina Quilt Symposium. In 2004, “Vessel of Fire” also won a first place ribbon at the 23rd Annual Fabric of Legacies National Quilt Exhibition in Colorado. Roxane went to Italy in the summer of 2005, which inspired a new series of landscapes and cityscapes. One of those works, Vineyard Bell Tower, was chosen to be in the Tactile Architecture show, which has travelled to Lyons, France and other venues around the world. Recently, Roxane received a Untied Artist Project Grant which she used to learn how to dye her own one-of-a-kind fabric. Her work has been on display at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, NC. Roxane is a member of the International Quilt Association, and the Professional Art Quilter’s Alliance South, and is an Industry Partner with ASID Carolinas. She is an exhibiting member of the Piedmont Craftsmen Guild. Last year, she won the 2012 Niche Award for Decorative Fiber.
