Cloth and words are linked. Text is "a written account" and it also comes from "to fabricate." Both "text" and "textile" come from the Latin root, texere. To weave. Words, threads, fabric. It's interesting that we use the word "threads" for lines of conversation, but we don't say we are wearing a poem.
More and more I've been taking past fabric experiments and laying them out on the table to see what kind of conversation they will have. My little quilt, "Conversation" was one of these. The latest gathering was a combination of fabrics I created in response to African cloth I saw at The Met in April 2018 and a poem I had published online in Eunoia Review: "Everything Is Temporary."
More and more I've been taking past fabric experiments and laying them out on the table to see what kind of conversation they will have. My little quilt, "Conversation" was one of these. The latest gathering was a combination of fabrics I created in response to African cloth I saw at The Met in April 2018 and a poem I had published online in Eunoia Review: "Everything Is Temporary."
So I had this.
A technique based on sewn, resist-dyed cloth from Senegal or Cape Verde.
And my March 2018 experiment with accordion folding cloth and clamping it between quarters before dying.
And several pieces I stenciled with metallic paint onto black that were inspired by a resist-dyed cloth from Cameroon.
Which came together with a variety of Japanese sashiko patterns to make this.
Working on this quilt I became aware of scale and pattern and how varying both adds dimension. Larger patterns come forward, smaller ones recede. Did I want a heavier looking stitch or a lighter one? How many strands of embroidery floss would look best? Should it be the thicker sashiko thread? A curvy or geometric stitch?
Various languages merge for me here.
Text and textile.
Interweaving, crossing cultures, dancing together.
Comments
I love the interweaving of words, techniques cultures.