great fibers show

I hope to see everyone at this opening.  My friend Anna Keck is displaying her thesis work in the gallery space of SCAD’s Alexander Hall
Her work is extraordinary and a must see!

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“blankets for the american people during terror”

these quilts I made in the colors of the “national terror alert system” which is supposed to help us understand the state of risk we are in. to me this was the most ridiculous thing I had heard. I made these awkward sized quilts of different weight fabrics and batting equipped with different supplies one might need during the appropriate color of terror.

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process.

Here are some photos of the embroidery process I used to create the fleas.   I am changing the way I do this because I feel that these lose the feeling of hand made with how sewn they are. its very difficult to see the stitches in photo but its also difficult to see them in life since they are pretty dense, the next batch will be looser and have more of a hand quality.

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my new friend

I have been on the hunt for a small “portable” or table top loom ever since I took a weaving class several months ago. I really enjoyed weaving and think about it all the time but with little knowledge of looms and of weaving itself I didnt feel comfortable buying a new fancy loom. I had been searching craigs list and newspapers online with no luck. Well the other day I bumped into a woman who I have taken some fibers classes with a few years ago and mentioned to her that I was searching for an affordable table loom. she put me in touch with a good friend of hers who just so happened to have a Leclerc table loom in her garage that was lonely. This woman was so friendly and welcoming to me. She told me that she would be happy to loan this old loom to me so that I may become familiar with weaving and was just happy to have someone to love it again. She invited me to her home to pick it up and she talked to me about weaving and helped me to remember how to dress the loom, she is absolutely the nicest person I have met in years! The kind of person that makes you happy for days. So thank you Phillippa for being so generous, trusting and wonderful!!!! here are some photos of my new friend, I havent yet had the chance to dress him (Mr. Leclerc) but am hoping to do so next week or this weekend after the craft fair. I am so excited to start playing I just cant wait!!

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painting

I have been working on some new techniques.  The last post of my work I showed some drawings that I had been working on using different types of inks and application techniques.  I incorporated that into quilting.  The first image is of a quilt made of cotton papers, it is hand sewn and has cotton batting in between the layers of paper.

These next few images are of a series I am now getting into which is the same “ink” process but on fabric.  I have been working on ways to achieve the same outcome as the paper paintings/drawings.

machine embroidered on printed cotton

the next is on raw silk.  (in progress-front)

and the reverse side (in progress)

I have several more hours of embroidery left and I need to think more about display issues.  but I would love to hear some feedback.  I will be working on other harbingers of disease in the coming weeks.

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finished

I realized that There are a few works that I finished up and never posted. so here they are.

string quilt, hand dyed cotton. machine pieced and quilted.

hand woven scarf. Bamboo yarns.

As soon as I get my camera back I will be posting the scarf since I overdyed it as well as a small series of quilts I did entitles “Quilts for the American People During Terror”  a sarcastic series of five mixed media quilts. I will also be posting about a new series I am struggling with.  Its in the very beginning stages and needs lots more thought, research and feedback.  

I am heading to Florida to enjoy a quick vacation: take in art at Ringling Museum and get some work by artist Tomas Garcia. I’ll be back here in a few days!

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installation progression part 2

here is where I am today with this. I am still not happy with it, but for now I am out of time.

heirloom death devices. An exploration of tradition by Ashleigh Spurlock.

Passing down traditions through generation is something that we have been taught to cherish and cultivate. In this piece I brought together two forms of utilitarian craft, quilting and knitting, that are often passed down from one generation to the next. I paired this with the knowledge we now have about diseases being hereditary. Over the last few decades women have been telling themselves and each other that having a strong and independent facade is the only way to present themselves. We are no longer able to experience sadness, to cry, to be so sensitive. For doing so would knock us back and make us weaker than our peers. This attitude has led many women to suffer in silence.  As a fibers artist I feel compelled to create things that affect someone, everyone. I think as a woman as a being who experiences pain, thoughts, and compassion, I feel that it is my responsibility to bring such issues to light. I feel it necessary to incorporate “everyday” objects and techniques in my work for people from any walk of life to relate to. This installation is commentary on how people suffer alone, how its hidden away behind a closed door, beneath a pretty facade and too often we do not notice until it’s too late.

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installation progression

I have been sitting on a concept for an installation touching on handmade devices for suicide; namely nooses.  I decided that this idea has spent way too much time in theory.  So I am trying to pull it off as a ‘final project’ for my images on fabric class.  Initially I saw this as being knitted and crocheted, since that didnt work for this particular class I decided to open it up to quilting which really lends itself well to the idea.  I am using a few different fabrics, silk habotai, raw silk, cotton velveteen, and cotton shirting,  the concept is based on women suffering in silence,  how depression can be (and is) passed down through the generations like these crafts they are utilizing to create their own death devices.  This is just the beginning of working this out.  I have a long way to go, but I thought I’d share and hopefully get some feedback.I will post the other photos as I progress.  

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screen printing with dyes

I am just starting a project using an H dye and sodium alginate mixture for printing. I made screens by rubbing an item with wax in this case I used doilies my grandmother made.to simplify it greatly all you have to do is….. 1. build a screen 2. find something that has a lot of texture like lace 3. place screen on top of item and rub really well with wax; I used a candle. 4. pour a bit of ink, dye or whatever you are using for printing on one end of screen. 5. squeegee across getting it as even as possible. sometimes the unevenness is interesting, I guess in the end it all depends on what you are making.here are some photos of what I worked on.

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hand dyed string quilt

this is a quilt I made for my history of fabric class.  I used unbleached cotton muslin and mx dyes to create a variety of color that still looked somewhat related.  As required by the class I did utilize a couple shibori techniques (tritik, clamp and crinkle)

I still havent bound it yet… that will be a late night movie watching project.   I am so SO glad to have this done.

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