A NEW OBSESSION

I've been making small, clutch bags from collaged fabric, vintage Edwardian silk, wool blends, and narrow wale corduroy.

Some of the motifs I am using include Japanese, Southwestern and African. I am hand-beading and using antique buttons for embellishment. All are lined and have magnetic closures.

This one began as a fabric collage. After cutting the shape of the bag, I used my sewing maching for some 'thread play' . The bag has a pale satin lining and hand-beaded embellishment.

The two bags below are also fabric collages with a Japanese motif. Again, there is a lot of 'thread play' throughout. The linings are black faux suede; the buttons are a stacked mix of vintage and contemporary.

I am quite pleased with the simplicity of this one made from a vintage linen that has a homespun' feel. The button is circa 1920s, painted celluloid.

I just love this one created from a collage of antique laces sandwiched between a base of antique damask and contemporary chiffon. Once the sandwich has been made, I continue with the 'thread play'. The laces offer interesting textural opportunities that are not available when using a collage of fabric because of the raised designs below the chiffon.

The image below shows the satin lining as well as fringe and beaded embellishment on the inside.

The three quilted bags below are all hand-beaded along the edge and embellished with vintage buttons.

This weekend, I am weaving narrow bits of fabric, fibers and ribbon onto rug canvas. Once the canvas is prepared, I take it to my sewing machine for the first pass, which is just to hold the strips in place. Then the fun begins. Again using the sewing machine for some 'thread play', I complete the surfaces and then assemble the parts. I'll have some images to show soon.

The bag pattern is free and downloadable from Kwik Sew, #5001.

It is a simple little purse that offers a lot of scope for the imagination (a la Anne of Green Gables).

Make 4x6 Art with me
at artstream studios

in Rochester New Hampshire
Two Saturdays in May, 12 & 26

Go here, for information and to registration

Beautiful
Turn-of-the-century White Work

A wedding dress of white batiste
fragile, soft, feminine
Embellished with heavily padded white work

We were at an auction preview when I saw these fragments of wedding fabric. They were in an old, not very attractive frame. Just sitting on a non-descript bench among other relics from other folks' past.

The framed fabric pieces did not seem to be generating interest. Except for me: I was drawn to it ~~ captivated by its untold stories.

The fabric did not come up for bid until late in the auction. When the bidding opened, there was no competition. It had, I suppose, limited extrinsic value. But for me its value was not monetary. Its value lies in its past and the questions it evokes.

Who wore this dress?
What happened to the rest of the dress?
To the marriage?

I was the only bidder and purchased the fabric for a small sum.

I don't know its truth but I know its essence.