By Marilyn Fish
Local Textilist, Crispina ffrench, is a woman of wide-ranging passions – passions that over time she has woven into a seamless fabric of family, art, education, and social responsibility. Now aged 58, she clocked many years as a textile recycling entrepreneur before discovering that contentment lay not in fame and fortune, but in merging her personal values with her work.
Crispina was born in Ireland, one of three daughters of John ffrench, an Irish ceramist, and Primm Turner ffrench, an American painter. Her parents moved the family to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1969, in search of better educational opportunities for their girls. John and Primm had already landed jobs at Monument Mountain High School and once here they also produced art at home and became active members of the community. By 1970 they founded the Dolphin Studio, familiar to all who have seen their bold screen-printed calendars around the Berkshires. Growing up, Crispina enjoyed and embraced her family’s interests and ethos.
Her earliest upcycling success was her Ragamuffin collection—adorably quirky dolls made from felted wool that sold so well they paid her art school tuition and led her to bigger but not necessarily better places. At age 22 she ran a commercial recycling business that employed a crew of 40 and consumed all of her time and energy. But after a number of years, feeling disconnected from her core values, she decided to change course. Now she strives to inspire environmental stewardship as a self-employed individual by collecting used clothing, preparing it for reuse by washing and cutting it, and recombining pieces to create unique items such as blankets, potholder rugs, and clothing.
After a few years in Great Barrington and Pittsfield, Crispina and her husband, Becket Selectman Christopher Swindlehurst, moved to his childhood home in Becket with their daughters, Lucy and Violet. Crispina says that Becket is the ideal location for her life and business. “It’s beautiful, it’s safe, the elementary school is first-rate, and the people are wonderful,” she tells us. “And I love my commute… just a few yards from our current home down a dirt road…” The former Swindlehurst home is now the art studio where Crispina gives equal time to Dolphin Studio projects (along with several family members) and textile designs.
Her favorite current project is Stitcherhood, a free online community that grew out of her pandemic Zoom sewing circle. She describes it as “a hub for textile waste alchemists—individuals who have a passion for repurposing old clothes, fabric scraps, and discarded textiles into innovative and sustainable solutions.” Stitcherhood’s following has reached more than 2,000 sewing enthusiasts. Crispina’s aim is to teach them to artfully and responsibly upcycle materials that would otherwise add to overflowing landfills. Reflecting on her current work, Crispina recognizes, “my life’s passions are meshing now. In more than one way, I feel I’ve come home.”
Dedicated to Crispina’s family, including her son Ben Paley (1992-2019), whose spirit continues to inspire her.
