Since taking
Jude Hill's Contemporary Woven Boro online workshop, musings have been winding around in my brain. How similar cloth and paper are. Paper is used and recycled. We take these materials so much for granted and use them with abandon. Paper is used and recycled. Cloth is used and worn and then so easily discarded. These words "used" and "worn" appeal to me.
 |
| Using Jude's techniques to mend and reweave an old linen tablecloth for a new bathroom curtain. |
Paper is rarely worn, except for a few
whimseys in the late 1960's and more recently on
Project Runway.
Deep into the process of weaving and stitching cloth in the evenings, I've found myself pondering ways to mend paper, to stitch papers together. The treasure that is torn and yellowed and crumbling and far to brittle to fold. The tape, yellowed with age, that sometimes is the only thing keeping sheets from turning to dust.
 |
| Adventures in Contemporary Woven Boro |
 |
| A cozy woven pillow |
Cloth and paper are made in similar fashion. Cloth is threads woven and paper, miraculous paper, begins its life as fibers more or less knitted together in a mush. There is an orderliness about the making of cloth and, seemingly, chaos in making paper. Look closely enough at a sheet of paper (through a microscope) and you'll see the intricate order.
That's it, just musing.
10 comments:
love the cozy woven pillow. also love paper and cloth.
beautiful! i love stitching...old & new...it all works for me...i bought a gorgeous too small silk blouse at the thrift store just for taking apart...i stitched some lace+fabric samples (free from a design store) + old botany books cards a while back...loved that..enjoy! i think your pillow looks very inviting!
I love what you have created. I especially love the knots on the pillow. Wouldn't be nice if we could create a slury of paper to use to mend the paper like we mend cloth with cloth. Thanks for sharing your beautiful creations. The curtain is going to be gorgeous.
What an interesting idea. A slurry of paper pulp.
I'm really digging this cloth thang you've got going on. I'm going to do this soon, I just know it.
I love your pillow. Maybe that would be a good project to start with. Thanks for all the ideas.
Love your weaving projects! I love paper AND fabric, and I'm always thinking about how to put them together. I do a lot of embroidery stitching on paper; my last zine cover had layers of paper, and I stitched bits of crocheted trim and lace on top of that.
If you feel like experimenting like I did, you might want to try this. I found this out in one of my "What if?" moments. Apply a very thin layer of Mod Podge to your fragile papers and then adhere it to inexpensive muslin or some fabric pieces you have no better use for. After it dries, you can sew through it just like fabric. You might be able to use other glues as well, but I have had so much luck with the Podge, I haven't tried anything else. If you try it, I would be curious to know how it works for you.
Beautiful ! The cloth and paper are coordinating well.
your pillow is coming along great, i need to get back to mine! i like your thoughts on paper and cloth.
Post a Comment