I need a thimble!

This is a piece I just finished for my embellished surfaces class. The assignment was to create a modern "sampler" with references to historic American and European samplers. The fabric is linen and the thread is cotton. Everything was stitched by hand except for the two rows of machine embroidery for the border. I used chain stitch for the river, back stitch for the text, blanket stitch for the appliqued rocks, and french knots in between the borders. The quote is something I found awhile ago, and the words have stuck with me. This took forever, but I like how it turned out!

Begin Again Again Again

1.  Cut woven fabric into a circle, dip in fabric stiffener, and press into plastic cup mold.

2.  Dip a strand of linen into fabric stiffener, and hang vertically to dry.

3.  Attach the dried string to the bottom of the stiff fabric mold..and see if it will support the fabric.  Fail!

4.  Try, try again...after unsuccessfully searching for starch or something else to use to make the string hard, I decided to experiment with resin.  I wanted to try to avoid using something so toxic..but if it works, it works!

For this project, I am experimenting with the idea of multiples.  How creating a lot of the same, simple structure can completely change the way it is experienced and viewed.  The structures that I am making will look somewhat flower-like..and they are also going to look like the "stem" that is supporting the flower shouldn't actually be able to do so...still having some technical difficulties with the material, but I will get something to work eventually!  I am going to scan in my sketches for this project so it will make a little more sense.

Snuts

Lovely texture, lovely colors.

YAY bookz

The books are done! The binding was a little bit tricky, but I think they came out alright.  Anybody want one??

Finished!!

Hand woven fabric is thought to be very precious to the creator, something that is whole and finished, complete with neat edges, or something that has been turned into a useable object.  I wanted to come up with a way to display woven fabric based on it's most basic mathematical construction.  I wanted to turn that precious fabric into a study to understand it's creation; to both construct and deconstruct it.  Depending on how the piece is looked at and read, it can be perceived as the creation process, one thread being added at a time, or as being unwoven one warp and one weft at a time.

I am creating!

Here are some process photos of the piece I am working on now...it is about construction and deconstruction.  The warp and weft are both linen, the wood was found at the Tybee Island dump...and hopefully this will make much more sense when I post pictures of the finished piece!