Mary Ann Stewart: fiber artist, stitch witch, natural dye artisan, leader, and mentor
... let me tell you a story
... let me tell you a story
We’ve learned a great deal from the slow food and farm-to-table movement, lessons not just about fresh, local produce and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), but about trust, reciprocity, and reclaiming our relationship with the land. It’s a story rooted in seasonal rhythms, small farms, and shared stewardship of our health and environment.
Now imagine if we brought that same mindset to what we wear.
Slow fashion is fiber’s answer to farm-to-table: a farm-to-closet movement grounded in care, place, and relationship. It invites us to slow production, shorten supply chains, and deepen our ties to farmers, shepherds, dyers, weavers, and makers. It honors climate-beneficial agriculture and regional fiber systems that grow textiles from the earth, carry them across skin, and return them, renewed, to the soil.
As with slow food, slow fashion is about fewer steps, fewer hands, and deeper roots. It’s about nourishing relationships and choosing materials, and methods, that sustain life rather than deplete it.
These stories are taking shape across the globe through fibersheds: vibrant, place-based systems of regenerative textile production. They’re not just transforming garments; they’re transforming communities. Fibersheds remind us that fashion, too, can be circular and local, relational and just. They invite us to wear our values. And to stitch a new story, together.
Mary Ann, two names, no ‘e’
If we haven’t yet met, I’m Mary Ann Stewart, fiber artist, stitcher, speaker, creative business mentor, and longtime public leader in education. My work lives at the intersection of creativity, sustainability, and community: a place where making and meaning, art and advocacy, business and belonging all braid together.
The Artist
I create slow, soulful pieces using textiles that are found, repurposed, foraged, garden-grown, or ethically sourced. My materials are as alive with story as the hands that shape them. Rooted in sustainability and reverence for nature, my work is a quiet rebellion against disposable fashion, a reminder that what we wear can be an act of care.
Since 2015, I’ve been steeped in the practice of botanical dyeing and printing on organic materials, crafting one-of-a-kind pieces that carry the spirit of the land they came from. My process blends elements of earth, mineral, and creature: wool and silk, cochineal and marigold, rust and root. Each piece holds not only beauty but belonging, reminding us that we’re not separate from nature, we’re stitched into its fabric.
I love helping nature lovers reflect their values through style that feels meaningful, grounded, and beautifully their own. When you choose one of my works, you’re not just supporting sustainable fashion. You’re becoming part of a movement toward deeper care, slower creation, and a renewed commitment to our shared planet.
I believe fashion can be a force for repair. Through my art and advocacy, I work to advance laws and systems that honor the earth and protect the people behind our clothing. When we wear with intention, we vote for a more just and regenerative future. Conscious fashion is more than fabric; it’s a language of connection. It speaks of ecosystems, ancestry, memory, and possibility.
The Mentor
Like many creatives, I know what it’s like to make beautiful work while feeling unsure how to turn that creativity into consistent income. I’ve lived the tension between inspiration and uncertainty, between the desire to make and the need to sustain. I understand the creative process from the inside: the rhythms, the resistance, the perfectionism, and the deep care that goes into making meaningful work.
As a creative business mentor, I support fiber artists who are tired of guessing their way through business. Artists who don’t need more information or inspiration, but a system that actually helps them get paid. My approach is grounded, practical, and deeply human because creative work is vulnerable, and business growth requires clarity, support, and community.
The Leader
Before stepping fully into creative entrepreneurship, I spent decades in public leadership in education, sitting in rooms where systems are built, where facilitation matters, where clarity determines whether people succeed or stall. I bring that experience into everything I do: helping people think clearly, take steady action, and move forward together.
The Authentic Entrepreneur Studio
I founded The Authentic Entrepreneur Studio to offer creatives something different from traditional courses or content libraries. The Studio is a 12‑month, live, high-touch journey designed for fiber artists who want to build sustainable businesses without selling out or burning out.
Inside, we focus on small, steady steps; daily accountability; live facilitated sessions; and a supportive community that replaces isolation with momentum. This work isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about building systems that fit creative lives, so your art can be seen, valued, and paid.
In the AE Studio, I specialize in helping fiber artists who feel stuck, unseen, or overwhelmed:
a 12-month supportive journey designed for creative entrepreneurs
mentorship emphasizes:
gentle, steady progress
community over isolation
systems that support creativity
alignment, pricing, messaging, and mindset
a private community of like-minded fiber artists and entrepreneurs for accountability, feedback, and encouragement
If you’ve been building alone, feeling stuck, or unsure of your next step, you’re not behind, you’ve just been unsupported. And that’s exactly what this work is here to change. Use the Contact page to reach out and learn more.
