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A decade-old plan to preserve historic Deodar Cedars along Pioneer Avenue is back before City Council as residents push to protect Northside shade while officials debate traffic, costs and tree health.
Upcoming featured artist, Candy Glendening, at Redlands Art Association is not only known for creating unique fabric arts with her own home dyed fabrics. She is also known from numerous stories she has written for Quilting Arts magazine and her participation in 12 episodes on the PBS show, Quilting Arts TV.
“I was born to be a dyer,” Glendening said. “So, coming up with a name [for my art] was a no-brainer.” Her art venture is named “Candied Fabrics” and she calls herself a quArtist.
“I do a lot of improvisational pieces,” she said.
“I just started making trees from scraps. If you look, there is no grid to this,” she said. As more and more trees were put together in the quilt, 50 of them to be precise, Glendening felt there needed to be a house and then added stars because of the night time color scheme.
Her creation process happens organically, much like her inspiration found in nature. She especially has a thing for birds.
“Always birds and a lot of botanical stuff,” she said. When she switches to a darning foot on her sewing machine, the embroidered images in her quilts become an added layer of artistic expression done free handedly.
“Mood Indigo” (L) was a previous series she worked on. The ocean theme she calls "Qauquatic" (R) is her current series. (Photos by Siw Heede)
For the past 22 years, Glendening has worked at the University of Redlands teaching biology. She grew up in Bridgewater, New England, both of her parents were teachers. She went to Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music in Ohio to study flute and biology. For a short while after finishing her degree, she worked in research. Then she married a trombone player whose career eventually brought them to Redlands. They have two kids.
Glendening lifts an improvisational quilt she made recently. (Photo by Siw Heede)
“I have always been a crafty gal,” she said. Over thirty years ago, she began making baby quilts for friends inspired by quilting magazines, where she noticed art quilts. “Some of the art quilters were dying their own fabric,” she said, something she began too. She learned that there are only two places in the US where you can get good quality dyes.
Her science background helped her create swaths of fabric in the exact colors she needs. On a wall of her home hangs a sample quilt with numerous colors from dye recipes she has created.
To become known as a quilter, you earn prizes at quilting shows but that felt wrong to Glendening. “I don’t like the concept of competition when it’s about art, and I don’t like me,” she said. “I become very judgmental.”
Every nook in Glendening’s house is filled with her colorful art. (Photo by Siw Heede)
“I wanted to share [my art] with more people than the ones I made gifts for,” she said. Louise Hewitt, a friend at her kids’ school urged her on. From a science perspective, you need to get publicized. That is why she reached out to her favorite magazine and began publishing stories and patterns for them, thus creating a name for herself that way.
A set of little mid-century modern houses she made, was the first story she wrote in 2010, she has since written a total of 40 articles. “The article I’m most proud of,” she said, was an article on the combination of science and dying.
In 2007, her art was featured at Art for Heaven’s Sake and Red Dirt Festival in Redlands. She has since then participated in local art shows every year. In the beginning she only showed art quilts but that soon became every day and wearable art like purses, pouches, scarves, coasters and table runners. “That was the final piece of the puzzle, to make things that were relatively inexpensive and that didn’t have to be committed to a space on a wall,” she said.
Every nook in Glendening’s house is filled with her colorful art. (Photo by Siw Heede)
Working with smaller art pieces also provided Glendening needed practice in certain color palettes. “Doing a lot of something is a great way to develop your sense of style,” she said.
The colorful art quilter Melody Johnson is one her inspirations, she has taken classes from her including a free motion quilting class. Glendening herself has since taught this class at the Redlands Sewing Center.
Living through a divorce and the pandemic, put Glendening’s art practice on hold, but now she has a new color palette working in the ocean themes with waves, kelp and sea weed. “It took us seven tries to get this [ocean] color palette right,” she said. She calls the new series: Qauquatic Sketches.
At the featured show at the Redlands gallery, Glendening will bring a variety of artwork. She has been the featured artist twice before. You can meet her at the upcoming open house event on Saturday, November 22nd from 1 to 4 p.m.
More information about Candied Fabrics
Website: www.candiedfabrics.com
Follow her on Instagram: @candiedfabrics
About the Redlands Art Association
Address: 215 E State St, Redlands CA 92373.
RAA website: redlands-art.org
RAA social media: facebook.com/RedlandsArtAssociation and @redlandsartassociation on Instagram.
Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays closed.
From November 15 to January 8, the gallery has a Christmas tree full of mini art ornaments made by local artists, holiday items and Christmas cards are also available to purchase.
Featured artist show by artist Candy Glendening runs from November 22, 2025 to January 2, 2026. An open house event is planned for Saturday, November 22nd from 1 to 4 p.m.
Siw is the ultimate cheerleader of what happens in Redlands. She is a dual citizen (Danish and American) who likes to write about what is new as much as about the things we take for granted.
