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Monday 10 January 2011

Cloth Weaving

I am taking part in Jude Hill's Cloth to Cloth workshop. If you haven't heard of Jude and her amazing cloth weaving endevours then you really must pop by her blog. Her work is incredibly inspiring and oh so liberating for a beginner to quilting, like myself, who is prone to wonkiness and lack of precision.

The course doesn't start for another week or so, but I have already started a little cloth weaving experiment.
The cloth is woven and stitched to a backing (in my case an old baby muslin) to stabilise it, the cloth is then embroidered, appliqued and embellished according to ones whim, the blocks can be attached and made into a quilt as with standard patchwork.

Being as I have oodles and oodles of scrappy bits of fabric, and not many large pieces, this particular craft is well suited to me at the moment.
Most all of the Spirit Cloths (as Jude calls them) I have seen are very organic looking and mostly in neutral colour palettes, using recycled fabric. Alas, whilst I do like organic, I posses very few neutral toned fabrics and so I am conscious that my own attempts look somewhat gaudy and bright in comparison to the pale and beautiful cloths Jude turns out. Still, one must be true to thine own self, and I do like colour so.
Left over scraps from Amber's book bag have found their way in, same for some of the scraps from a project I did with the fabric Sena sent, and a few other scrappy pieces, including some wide satin ribbon in acid green.

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I started weaving the cloth at about 8pm yesterday, and then began stitching it to the fabric, which I completed at around 2am. Quite a lot of work, and it is only 10" square, but I do stitch quite slowly at the moment on account of my illness, still at least the inability to sleep allows me the extra hours I need to make progress.
I am not sure how any embellishments will stand out against the psychedelic rhapsody of colour, so I may have to rethink the neutral debate after all if I am to achieve some contrast and tone....

There is something incredibly healing about stitching and colour. It allows me to switch off from anxious thoughts and exist solely in the moment. I am looking forward to working on my cloth more tonight, and very excited about starting the Cloth to Cloth workshop in a few days time, my fingers are twitching at the very thought.

3 comments:

  1. Hello There!
    I am here to send you greetings and thanks
    for visiting my blog.
    I love, love your bright colors! And. What especially got
    my heart beating fast are those number pillows, making
    math equations! Wish I had known about those
    before retiring from teaching elementary school. I may have to
    make some for my niece!
    We are all in for a special treat with the class jude will be teaching.
    I did not make quilts until I took her first c2c class. Now i have 4 under my belt!!!
    Cheers to you!

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  2. I love both the bright and neutral colors! If you don't want to add too much color through your embellishments, you could try the clear and crystal type of embellishments. Just to give it a sparkly effect. I love Jude's blog too! I may have found her from you. I am into the artsy little quilts that tell a story. :) Can't wait to see your work as you go along in the class.
    xoxo
    Sena
    p.s. I'm doing well so far, as I have updated my blog again. :) :) :)

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  3. I'm so glad you joined the cloth weaving online class with Jude...such a beautiful group of women, all very positive and inspirational.

    Me... I love colour too. I adore the beautiful cloths of Judes and some of the other women, but try as I might mine never stay neutral for long!

    You will love it and it will be lovely having you along for the ride.

    Your cloth weaving is wonderful. Weaving and quilting are very meditative and healing for the soul.

    Another textile artist you would love is Janet Bolton (no blog, but you can google. Very whimsical).

    Jacky xox

    p.s. you still havent sent me your address, I need to send something to you.

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