Good morning all!! Before you is a nice neat room and tidy table - I just had to clear out some of my untidy mess after my weekend of cra...
This past weekend was just what I needed, a nice hike with my dog Gracie, dinner out with some friends, and a felting class at Esther's Pl...
Panneau de 23 cm en laine et fibres de soie travaillées à l'embellisher.
Explore red2white's 2596 photos on Flickr!
merino wool, raw wool, wool curles , hand dyed
** JUST A WARNING MY PUMPKINS. I AM NOT SELLING IN MERCARI'S WEBSITE please be careful with scammers. I'VE BEEN SELLING HERE ON ETSY SINCE 2014. *** Wither Plush Inspired by Minecraft ~ Handmade Product made by me. MADE TO ORDER*** Made with Soft Fleece, Stuffed with Polyester Fiberfill and the faces are machine embroidered. Made with Love and Care. SIZE ~ 9 Inches Wide (from the first to the last head) ~ 10 Inches Tall (from the tallest head to the bottom) ***No Felt or Animal Products are used on these Plushies 💚 🌱 ***
A week or so ago I posted about the self striping yarn that my daughter dyed and then I spun. I was so pleased with how our first attempt at dyeing turned out and I wanted to make a child's scarf so that my daughter could enjoy wearing something that she'd had a hand in making. My original intention was to knit it in linen stitch, which is perfect for scarves, as it forms a stable fabric that doesn't curl and it's pretty easy to remember, which makes it perfect for knitting hundreds of stitches without too much concentration. As a stitch on its own, it's relatively unimpressive, but it really comes into its own when it's worked in a self-striping yarn as the rows are dotted with strands of contrasting colour. However, when I started knitting a tension square in my handspun yarn, it just looked a bit too flat and I couldn't help thinking that the reverse side looked better as it had so much more texture. I just love how the purl stitches show off the handspun yarn and the texture creates shadows and contrast that bring out the colours far more, than on what is supposed to be the right side. I searched and searched for a 'reversible linen stitch' that had purl stitches on both sides, as well as the slipped stitches that carry the colour changes across the rows to get the woven, blended effect of linen stitch. Well if it exists, I couldn't find it, so I decided to work out my own stitch. It's often said that there are no new stitches, as knitting has been around for so long that it's just not possible to design a stitch that hasn't been done before - in fact, many, many years ago, when I was applying to universities to study knitwear design, I was naively showing a swatch of a stitch to my interviewer that I had proudly "invented"; the lecturer rather snootily told me that it's just not possible to invent a new stitch and that there is nothing new in hand knitting that hasn't been done before. So maybe I haven't invented this stitch, but here's my version of a reversible linen stitch, which I'm calling the "Bouclé Stitch" as the texture reminds me of fabric woven from bouclé yarn. My bouclé stitch is based on a moss stitch (US seed stitch) instead of stocking stitch and it's worked over 4 rows instead of 2, over an even number of stitches, as follows - Abbreviations: sl1 - slip 1 yb - yarn to the back, passed between the needles k1 - knit 1 yfwd - yarn to the front, passed between the needles p1 - purl 1 Boucle Stitch Pattern Row 1. *sl1, yb, k1, yfwd. Repeat from * to the end Row 2. * k1, yfwd, sl1, yb. Repeat from * to the end Row 3. *P1, yb, sl1, yfwd. Repeat from * to the end Row 4. *sl1, yfwd, p1, yb. Repeat from * to the end You may notice that the same alternate stitches are worked over two rows, you then switch over to work the remaining alternate stitches. There isn't really a right or wrong side, but if there is, this would be the front... ... and this would be the back. I've nearly finished the scarf and I'll be posting about it soon. So what so you think? Does this stitch already have a name? I'd love to know. Do you think it's really possible to "invent a new stitch", or has it all been done before? Related Posts:- ---------- Please be sweet and share the love. Leave a comment, subscribe to my YouTube channel, like my Facebook page for regular updates or follow me on Pinterest, Bloglovin' or Instagram
Named "Enfant" because of it being made out of lamb wool.
Forever inspired by my dear friend Elis Vermeulen of Holland to work with raw fleece (see my previous post on working with Texel with Elis), I decided to make myself a laptop bag a while back using…
We’ve added splashes of teal and bright green to the steely gray of 007’s signature martini shaker and Walther PPK for this secret agent special. This colorway can be highly variable, so feel free to give us a call for a current description of what we have, or if you have any questions about the color. This colorway is a Babette: every skein and every batch is a bit different, but Babs has a method of recreating these artistic colorways. The photograph is an example of representative skeins from this colorway; the skein you receive may differ somewhat. Katahdin This light fingering weight yarn is perfect for fine gauge sweaters and large shawls. Katahdin weighs in at 1750 yards and 16.5 ounces, making it our largest skein to date. It can be knit at a heavy laceweight or light fingering gauge and is 100% superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool. BFL is a perfect canvas for Babs' colors, giving the yarn a rich depth and slightly glossy finish. Size: 1750 yd / 16.5 oz (1600m / 467g) skeins Content: 100% superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool Gauge: Light fingering weight. 8-10 stitches per inch knit on US 0-2, 7-8 stitches per inch crocheted on US A-D. Care Instructions: Hand wash, dry flat.
Two weeks ago my friend Antoinette and I got together in her beautiful backyard to batik some silk fabric which we would later nuno felt. For more information on the batik process click HERE. Yesterday we got together at my house for the nuno felting portion of our textile adventure. I had hand dyed some wool roving and other silks to coordinate with the batiks we did. I started off with a piece of the batiked silk 132" long by 19" wide and after the felting process, the finished scarf was 89" long by 10 1/2" wide. I am so pleased with all the texture, the color and the drape. This scarf is beautiful and so different on both sides. The one side mainly shows the batik fabric texturized from the wool roving that was placed on the other side. The reverse side shows all the other elements I added in - the wool roving, the silks, ribbons, cut up and repurposed UFO knitting projects, etc. Here's the finished scarf/shawl Antoinette with our batiked silk fabric Hand dyed silks and wool roving added to the batiked fabric Lay out for the scarf. It shrunk 33% in length and 45% in width. Below are a few more pics of the finished scarf/shawl which can be worn in so many fun ways.
This is a norrøn vararfeldur, the closest you can come to a rya in the Viking period. In Norwegian it’s called a gråfell (grey fleece). It was woven in Iceland in November, 2010 by Hildur Hakonard…
Occasionally I like to create a flower image with a black background, and my material of choice to do this is black fleece of some call it felt, which has a texture to it that helps to diffuse any …
Joan Baxter Weaving So who is Joan Baxter? I was born in Edinburgh and went to Edinburgh College of Art in 1972. I discovered tapestry weaving there and gained my Diploma and Post Diploma qualifications in tapestry. Having seen tapestries from Eastern Europe that were completely different from what was being made in Scotland, I decided to try to do some further post-graduate study there. I got a scholarship from the British Council to study at Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts for two years...it was a fantastic opportunity to see a completely different world - Poland was still an unknown place to the 'west', still firmly behind the Iron Curtain when I was there in the late '70s. Returning to the UK, still feeling ill-equipped to survive as a maker, I was very fortunate to get a job as a weaver at West Dean Tapestry Studio, where they were weaving a series of large tapestries from drawings by Henry Moore. While I was there I also made work by Hodgkin and Piper. In 1984 I was invited to work for a year at the much larger and more commercial Victorian Tapestry Studio in Melbourne, Australia. I view the eight years I spent as a studio weaver as an indispensable part of my training. I not only honed my technical and interpretive skills but learned all aspects of working to commission, dyeing and good studio and professional practice. Most importantly it gave me confidence in my own abilities. The only problem was I wasn't doing much of my own work. In 1987 I was offered a rent free studio in rural Nottinghamshire by a charitable foundation and since this co-coincided with a commission to weave a very large tapestry for tapestry designer Marta Rogoyska, it seemed a suitable time to set up as an independent maker. Over the next few years I worked incredibly hard establishing myself as a designer, weaver, teacher and bespoke dyer. In a modest way I was successful, selling most of what I made, gaining some prestigious commissions and at one time in the mid 90s employing 4 weavers. I exhibited work widely both in the UK, in Denmark and in North America and was active in promoting and teaching tapestry wherever I could. In 2000 I inherited a tiny house and 7 acres of land in the far north of Scotland. I had been longing to return home to Scotland for many years so was very happy to move back to the landscapes that have inspired my work throughout my career. I have continued to weave tapestries to commission and for sale as well as teaching master classes and short courses, writing and giving occasional lectures. Midwinter Naver Where in the world are you? I live near the village of Brora in the far north of Scotland....its about an hours drive north of Inverness, half way to John'o Groats and the Orkney ferry. My home and studio lie on the edge of the crofting township of Doll, just where the farmland turns to woodland then the heather-clad hills and secret upland lochs of the interior. Mine is the last house before the old droving ford over the River Brora, about one and a half miles inland from the main A9 and the sea. When did you decide to become a maker? My dad was a very talented landscape painter so I was exposed to the visual arts from birth and drew all the time as a child. I was also exposed to textiles early, my grandmother was a tailoress and I loved playing with the fabrics, threads and buttons of her trade. As a teenager I made all my own clothes from remodelled jumble sale finds chosen for their interesting fabrics. I went to art school not really knowing what I wanted to specialise in, except I knew I didn't want to be a painter. During my first year I was introduced to tapestry and I knew immediately that this was going to be my medium and my destiny and I have never deviated from this decision. Tapestry combined the best bits of painting...narrative, colour and scale with the tactile, experimental and seductive nature of the materials. It also had the added allure of rarity and subversion.....the tapestry department at Edinburgh College of Art was the only place in the UK you could study tapestry as a subject in its own right and at the time - the mid 70s - it was very cutting edge and very cool. We felt we were part of the bough wave of something very exciting. Migdale Kilt What made you choose the materials that you work with? For those who don't know what tapestry is, it is a very ancient weaving process, to this day carried out entirely by hand with the processes and tools largely unchanged for millennia. We can see beautiful ancient tapestries made in Coptic Egypt and pre-Columbian South America in museum collections, and we have many large scale tapestries made in Europe from the middle ages onwards in collections like the Burrell in Glasgow and the V and A as well as in stately homes around the country. A tapestry is basically a woven picture, a decorative wall hanging, constructed entirely by hand, with no function other than to adorn ( and in the past draught proof) and to show status and wealth. In Europe since the middle ages wool has been the material of choice for making tapestries for both warp and weft. It is readily available, very durable, takes dyes better than most other fibres and holds its colour well over long periods. It is firm enough to create a strong surface yet soft and pliable enough to be easily worked. It is the most stable fibre in a damp European climate and probably still the most suitable for tapestry. Until recently I used wool exclusively in my work - maybe with a very small amount of silk, linen and cotton...but I always used a cotton warp as I couldn't find wool warp at the thickness I wanted. Many of the high quality materials once commonly available before the industrial revolution and the advent of man-made fibres are now rare or unobtainable - really good quality woollen warp and high quality, high lustre, tightly spun worsted woollen weft are difficult to source. If you want yarns that are of anything like the quality of those used in historic tapestries, they have to be specially commissioned from the 'last spinner who still has the old fashioned machinery and still knows how to use it' or imported at vast expense from Scandinavia where they understand the need for high quality materials. Fortunately I have recently found a good wool warp and it has changed the way I work. Given that it is so hard to get the quality of wool weft that I want, I have embarked on a period of experimentation with materials new to me...hemp, linen, cotton rags, twigs, cut up digital photos...after 20 years of a very traditional approach to materials. Its liberating and exciting but nothing so far approaches the beauty and durability of wool. Sheneval What other materials would you like to work in? Tapestry is such a labour intensive medium that I feel I don't want to make time to work in other media. Also because I am skilled in my own medium, I find it frustrating to work in areas where my ambitions outstrip my technical abilities. Having said that, I'm starting to want to collaborate with artists in other media on specific projects - marrying my strengths and knowledge with other skilled people, so this might be the answer to broadening the scope of my work.. I'm in the middle of a project with a choreographer, projecting dance videos onto textured woven panels. I'm drawn to video as an addition to my textile work but although I have recently bought a video camera, I find my computer is too old to support the editing - so I will have to wait until I can afford to upgrade before I can start to work seriously with it. Where do you get your inspiration from? My primary source is landscape and the stories, myths and histories that spring from landscape. The landscapes of the far north have a particular minimal beauty and are strongly atmospheric. The inspiration spark can come form anywhere - rarely simply from a pretty view, much more often something complex and nebulous, more of an emotion or a feeling than a visual idea. If I am making a piece about a particular place, then it could be about the archaeological layers present in the place ( see Sheneval). Sometimes I try to capture a moment in a landscape (October Clothscape), the quality of the light, the textures of the land. In other pieces I am inspired by more general themes to do with belonging to a landscape (Migdale Kilt) or the ghosts of people who once lived in landscapes that are now empty of them (Hallaig, Midwinter Naver). Most recently I have been inspired by the past two exceptional winters - the sheer, stunning beauty, the quality of the light, purity of the colours and the otherworldliness of it all as well as the reminder of how vulnerable we are (Winter Skyline). Winter Skyline What motivates you? This is a hard one to answer. I have persisted to weave what I need to weave for almost a quarter of a century, with little hope of recognition beyond my own small tapestry pond and with very little financial reward. I have designed my life in order that I can continue to weave more or less full time. I live from my work but its not what most people would call a living. Before I moved north, I was certainly a workaholic, spending up to 60 hours a week working with no outside interests except my visits to Sutherland for inspiration. Now I live a more rounded life and weave for fewer hours but I can't imagine ever not weaving - its what defines me, I see my life through it and my life is dedicated to it because that is where my talent and fulfilment lies. Do you create your work in a studio base or a home base? I work from a studio I built onto my house about eight years ago. It is 7m x 5m, with a tall pitched roof to accommodate my largest loom. It faces south and looks out onto a sweep of grass, a small loch fringed by birch and willow with pine-clad rising ground beyond. The studio, as well as having passive solar heating from large south facing windows, has a third of its north facing roof glazed so the light is fantastic and I rarely need to use artificial light during daylight hours. You can see a 360 view of my studio with some audio clips at: www.vasutrail.com and click through to studios then Joan Baxter. House and Studio Crafts in the 21st Century – what does this mean to you? I think there are encouraging stirrings of a re-awakening of interest in quality, skills and experience (over youth and novelty and those who can draw the most attention to themselves). Collectors of craft are quite rare and critical appreciation of craft beyond an obsession with how things are made is also unusual. The recent exhibition 'The Age of Experience' was exactly the kind of educational exhibition that we need to see more of. It featured work by mature craft makers, most of them approaching or over 60, with a whole lifetime of making behind them. It was a great way of demonstrating that quality materials, great design, technical skill and experience are what makes beautiful and highly collectable craft objects. In the long run I think this is what people crave - something that finds the balance between concept, function and execution. This is all encouraging as I have felt like a lone voice crying in the wilderness about the joy of making and materials and the need for skill and beauty, all the way through post-modernism and the YBA movements that have valued and celebrated other qualities. I'm concerned about the lack of technical knowledge and practical craft skills in those who are teaching the younger generation in schools and universities and the difficulties facing craft makers - usually sole traders with precarious and fluctuating incomes - in being able to take on and train apprentices. These two things combined make it very difficult for anyone setting out on a career in crafts to acquire the whole range of skills needed to practice successfully. Clothscape How do you sell and promote your work? I promote my work mostly through exhibitions and my website. The UK is not a particularly good environment for exhibiting tapestry so I have always needed to exhibit much more widely, in North America and mainland Europe, particularly Scandinavia. I have had three solo exhibitions, two in England and one in Denmark, a number of small group exhibitions with other tapestry weavers in the UK, Japan and Denmark and have been juried into quite a large number of big touring tapestry exhibitions in North America and Europe. It is quite hard to exhibit in mixed exhibitions although I have recently participated in craftscotland's Meet Your Maker and will be part of their UNITE exhibition in the Collins gallery in Glasgow in April/May so that is a hopeful sign. I do not tend to sell much work from exhibitions. My sales come about mostly through personal contact, through my lectures, my teaching, via my website, via local or regional promotions like Open Studios. I could spend loads more time than I do on promotion and still not get any sales, so I decided long ago to just keep on exhibiting, talking, writing and teaching in the hope that the person who doesn't know they want that tapestry yet, will find it. I long to be represented by a gallery or an agent but this will never happen in the UK, I am too old, the wrong gender, too rural and working in the wrong medium to ever be cool enough to earn them their commission. Website: www.joanbaxter.com What is your typical working day look like? Working for myself and from home means that work and life have a habit of blending into each other. This is especially true in my situation as my husband and I do a lot of time-consuming self sufficiency stuff on our land as well as both being creative makers. We grow and process our own timber for heating and grow most of our own vegetables and soft fruit. I spend some time every day weaving or designing in the studio which will add up to around 35 hours a week. What I do each day is dependent on factors like the weather, the time of year, what stage in the making process I am at and whether or not I have students or Open Studio days. Except in the depths of winter, I usually get up very early. Sometimes I go straight into the studio and weave for a few hours, sometimes I fire up the laptop and do emails and sometimes I go for a walk or a bike ride. After breakfast and a few domestic chores I go into the studio and weave through until around 5pm. If the weather is good I might take breaks outside during the day...maybe a half hour of weeding in the veggie garden with a cup of coffee or a walk in our woodland with a saw. If I am designing or working out ideas then most of that is done in my head and with the help of my camera on long walks or cycles in the surrounding countryside. I don't usually weave in the evenings unless I have a deadline or I have been out during the day. Often I'll work on the computer for an hour or two and in the long light of summer I'm often out walking or cycling, looking at things. Atlantis Again What is your working style? My own ....I have no idea what that is! 3 words of advice for an aspiring Craft artist/maker Just do it! 14 Who is/are your favourite artist(s)/maker(s)? I'm interested in what other makers are doing but I'm rarely as moved by what they do as I am by music, film and writing. I admire the films of Tarkovsky...his ability with layers is stupendous, likewise the many-layered short stories and poems of George Mackay Brown. If I had to choose a favourite maker it would be ceramicist Lucie Rie. She managed to combine function with art in her work and I admire her modesty. Several painters were influential in my early work - Chagall for his magical narratives, Turner for his abstractions and his atmospheres and Mark Rothko for the stillness he creates with violent colour. My favourite tapestry weaver is still my teacher, Maureen Hodge - dark, passionate and mysterious work that always moves me.. Hallaig What music do you listen to? I tend to listen to the same two or three pieces of music for a month or two then move on to something else. The music informs the work to some extent, I can always remember what I was listening to when I was weaving a piece. I can't really generalise about my musical tastes they are pretty eclectic. In the last couple of years my significant music has been Martyn Bennett, Jan Garbarek, Aarvo Paart, Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawney, Thomas Tallis, Brian Eno, Faithless, Joni Mitchell and the Afro Celt Sound System 3 likes and dislikes? Like cats, chocolate, walking. Dislike ugly modern houses in the landscape, mobile phones and marmite What do you do to relax? I spend time exploring my local landscapes in great detail on foot and by bike. I'm very interested in archaeology, especially the remains that surround me in the landscape I live in. I like nothing better that to be walking in my local hills in search of iron age settlements or bronze age burials. I find it all endlessly fascinating and inspiring. I like the practical aspects of it all - seeing how iron age people took advantage of shelter and damper or dryer areas of land in their farming by observing the faint remains of their field boundaries or seeing how pre Clearance communities interacted by finding the remains of their track ways and river crossings between the ruins of their settlements. I like working my land - I especially like clearing scrub and having fires. Otherwise I spend time with friends, read or watch television. I like C4s Unreported World, music and travel programmes, anything sumptuously visual and I'm really enjoying 'The Killing' the Danish detective story currently being serialised on BBC4 on Saturdays ...the most intelligent drama on telly for decades. Choreography
How does your garden grow? This summer, designer, Erica Jackofsky of 1 More Row Designs, drew inspiration from blooming gardens and meadows for the latest Quince Quarterly. Her keen eye for color and texture flawlessly compliments our organic Texas cottons, Willet (Level 1) and Whimbrel (Level 2). We are over the bright summer moon for this edition of QQ, and we know you will be too! Level 2 subscribers will receive one color in Whimbrel yarn, a summer inspired pattern featuring beautiful stitch work, plus an extra surprise goodie revealed upon opening your kit. Summer Level 2 color themes are: CoolSoothing shades of leafy greens, tranquil creams and summer blue skies, these hues mirror the feeling of early morning strolls through dew kissed gardens. WarmA vibrant paradise of blossoming pinks, oranges and glowing cream hues dancing amongst a sun-drenched meadow filling our hearts with the intoxicating feeling that summer has finally arrived. Designer BioHello, all! I’m Erica, some might also know me as Fiddle Knits. I began crocheting in elementary school as an art project, which turned into “designing” little things for my stuffed animals. Picking up knitting needles was not far behind. From there it was a not-so-gradual progression to a fascination of how stitches fit together and interest in designing. 1 More Row was born from the idea of creating simply addicting patterns for the modern maker and focusing on patterns that are fun, wearable, and achievable.
i have been following Mimi’s personal blog Brook & Lyn for a long while, but somehow only recently discovered the beautiful jewellery she designs … i guess this is what happens when you intermittently…
How can something so easy to make be so lovely, warm and versatile to use.
Winter weather brings up a lot of big questions: scarf or cowl? hot chocolate or…
Two weeks ago my friend Antoinette and I got together in her beautiful backyard to batik some silk fabric which we would later nuno felt. For more information on the batik process click HERE. Yesterday we got together at my house for the nuno felting portion of our textile adventure. I had hand dyed some wool roving and other silks to coordinate with the batiks we did. I started off with a piece of the batiked silk 132" long by 19" wide and after the felting process, the finished scarf was 89" long by 10 1/2" wide. I am so pleased with all the texture, the color and the drape. This scarf is beautiful and so different on both sides. The one side mainly shows the batik fabric texturized from the wool roving that was placed on the other side. The reverse side shows all the other elements I added in - the wool roving, the silks, ribbons, cut up and repurposed UFO knitting projects, etc. Here's the finished scarf/shawl Antoinette with our batiked silk fabric Hand dyed silks and wool roving added to the batiked fabric Lay out for the scarf. It shrunk 33% in length and 45% in width. Below are a few more pics of the finished scarf/shawl which can be worn in so many fun ways.
Inis Meáin Knitting Company was founded in 1976 by Tarlach and Áine, inspired by the unique spirit, environment and heritage of the place.
There are two schools of thought on monogramming gloves or in this case, texting gloves: The monogram can either face outward or inward. I chose the outward
Learn how three baths and a spin keep your wool fiber full of life and vitality.
Superfine Australian merino wool, raw undyed sheep wool fleece. Length without fur's fringe 21" (53 cm) Width without fur's fringe 5 1/2" (14 сm)
Someone emailed me recently and asked me to explain how I made the felted sweater blanket I have posted on my projects page. I found some old pictures on my laptop and put this post together.
Imagine if zombies went to prom, too. Shambling into the ballroom in their decaying formal wear, hems frayed, ties askew, dancing awkwardly. Zombie Prom starts with cream, grays, and black, with contrasts of reddish purple and mossy yellowish green. This colorway is a Babette: every skein and every batch is a bit different, but Babs has a method of recreating these artistic colorways. The photograph is an example of representative skeins from this colorway; the skein you receive may differ somewhat. This colorway is also highly variable, so feel free to give us a call for a current description of what we have, or if you have any questions about the color. Keira Keira is a sport weight yarn that works up into a dense, plush fabric with superb stitch definition and very little halo. We love its neat and tidy 4-ply construction and smooth hand. Size: 560 yd / 8 oz (512m / 225g) skeins Content: 100% superwash Merino wool Gauge: Sport weight. 5-7 stitches per inch knit on US 3-5, 4-5 stitches per inch crocheted on US E-G. Care Instructions: Machine wash gentle. This yarn should be dried flat for best results.
Shawl created using a felted fleece from Ozark Handspun as well as knitting and crochet embellishment
100% American wool / Grown, spun, dyed in USA Chunky weight 112yd [102m] / 100g 3 sts / inch on size US 10.5 [6.5 mm] needles 2.5 sts / inch on size US 13 [9 mm] needles
Learn how to make a Potholder Rug! Hand-drawn illustrations in this 7-page DIY tutorial show the exact steps for upcycling old clothing and material to create a beautiful, durable potholder rugs. Please note: This tutorial does not include directions on how to make a loom. Looms are available for purchase in my Etsy shop. Potholder Rugs use a lot of material with very little waste. The average 2.5x3.5ft rug made on our standard-sized Potholder Rug loom, weighs 7lbs. Figure there is a 30% waste factor so you will need about 10 lbs of raw material garments to make your first rug. Keep in mind that different kinds of fiber weigh substantially differing amounts — an XXL Fleece weighs a lot less than an XXL Cotton Sweatshirt. I encourage you to use my technique as much as you desire. Kindly credit me when using this technique that I have devised and developed since 1990. See below for the story of how Potholder Rugs came to be! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thanks for looking! Check out my upcoming events and workshops, read my blog, and see my latest work at www.crispina.com. My work is listed here on Etsy, and it is also sold in artists' markets and on my website. We make every effort to consistently update our online inventory for accuracy. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ CRISPINA — INVENTOR OF POTHOLDER RUGS While a college student at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, I began using wool sweaters from the thrift shop to make Ragamuffin dolls that I developed as schoolwork and sold at The Cambridge Artist Cooperative. The raw material was completely awesome to me. I loved the colors, textures, sourcing, and price; and felt as though a magical mine of possibility had been discovered. Soon, mittens, then blankets and reconstructed sweaters were being compiled by a bevvy of amazing hand sewers under my employ. My penchant for material was married to the calling I still feel — to creatively inspire an alternative to excessive consumption. My work was in high demand and finding enough material was becoming difficult. Paul Petrescu, and old and dear friend of my father, had recently defected from Romania, and was living with my parents in Stockbridge, MA. He was an Eastern European Folk Art Scholar and was intrigued by my work. When he learned of my material conundrum, Paul told me of a wholesale used clothing place called The Garment District in Cambridge, MA (with his perfect, albeit accented, English). I never learned how he, having been in the country for only a matter of months at the time, knew this key to launching my creative and environmental process to the next realm. He was one of the angels along the way. So off I went with a beat up old van to check The Garment District out. I came home with the van stuffed full of garbage bags brimming with the most amazing wool sweaters and a head whirring with ideas and inspiration. Within a few weeks my treasure trove of material had turned into a pile of sweaters, mittens, and Ragamuffins, which were turning into a pocketful of money. Back I went to my new-found fellow recyclers at The Garment District, this time returning with a 1000 lb. bale of sweaters. Bruce Cohen, proprietor of the place let me and my sidekick, Charlie sort through eight or ten 1000lb bales of ‘wool knits’ to gather the most suitable material for my production needs. AMAZING. As I was rummaging through the mountains of material in the 100-year-old family business housed in an awesomely dingy warehouse, I thought a lot about all the material there. What was the process? Where did it all come from? Who else used this sort of raw material, and, for what purpose? An education ensued, far beyond the formal BFA I had recently fixed under my belt. A full bale of unsorted wool knits was purchased as an experiment to see what could be designed with all the materials we had previously sorted. Lo and behold, Potholder Rugs came to be. They can be made from sweaters with holes and stains, ones that were not really wool at all, bottom-of-the-barrel materials work just fine.
simple hand stitched felt applied in loops strips & twisted pinched arranged pieces woven & pinched combination layers samples for applique workshop in the new year for details www.sidneysidney.co.uk [email protected]
