Hetty Friedman

Hetty Friedman Designs

Handwoven, Hand-dyed wearables

Born in Brooklyn, Hetty fell in love with weaving at a Connecticut arts camp in 1966 and has never looked back. It has taken her through a degree in Visual Design (MFA), study and work in inventory control management (MBA), and a successful 30-year management career in the garment industry. She founded Crafts for a Cause in 2000, a project that allows her to use her artistic skills and industry experience to contribute to communities near and far.

Hetty Friedman Designs was founded in 2009. Her designs are sold in museums shops, women's boutiques, art events and from her Newton, MA studio.

Hetty’s main inspirations are Joseph and Annie Albers- the Bauhaus artists, Guatemalan indigenous weavers, Matisse, and Picasso. She often hand paints her yarn and takes risks combining strong and unusual colors.   Her work is woven on a 36” 4 harness Le Clerc, an 8 harness Macomber and a Baby Wolf Schacht 8 harness loom. A huge yarn collection dominates the 3rd floor studio in her Newton, Massachusetts home.

Crafts for a Cause combines Hetty’s love for hand-woven textiles and the Guatemalan Highlands. Utilizing her business expertise in a partnership with a Fair-Trade weavers’ cooperative, she travels annually to Guatemala to teach Mayan back-strap weavers new techniques and develop products. Hetty supports organizations working with reproductive health and education, issues pertaining to women and girls and educational sponsorships.