Yolanda “Yolie” Ortega was born and raised in El Paso, TX. Taught by her mother, she learned to sew on her grandmother’s treadle sewing machine. With four brothers, there was always plenty of sewing to be done. Her first job after college was as a seamstress at a costume shop, followed by a stint at a local fabric store. As a single
mother, she returned to El Paso where she supported her 2 boys sewing wedding gowns through the night before clearing the kitchen table in time to feed them breakfast in the morning.
During the COVID pandemic, Yolie moved with one of her son’s family to Los Alamos, NM to be close to her granddaughter, Iddy. Yolie traveled throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arizona with her job, often staying in small towns. She visited local quilt stores where she found unique fabrics such as quilt panels. During a visit to Crestone, CO, Yolie was inspired by the numerous Guptas and their mesmerizing Tibetan prayer flags. Her brain exploded with possibilities of using those quilt panels as flags to honor our passions. Ave Azul Designs was created to represent Yolie’s banners, flags and tote bags.
Yolie’s work began as an honor to her mother’s immigrant perseverance and her granddaughter’s inventiveness. She crafts innovative textiles from eco-friendly materials and repurposed scraps. Her studio, Desperdicio, translates to waste or scraps which symbolizes her mission to repurpose fabrics that would otherwise be discarded to landfills.
In Service of ARTists
Vital Spaces supports local, emerging & BIPOC artists and is inclusive of artists of all ages, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and countries of origin. By providing affordable space, we provide venues for artists who might not otherwise know one another to come together in community and collaboration. We work to share this collaborative energy with the broader Santa Fe public through our programming.