The Old & the New

For the past two years I have been working in two mediums--fiber and clay monoprints. I worked in two little boxes, keeping the work separate. But all the time I worked, the boundaries between the boxes tended to perforate, to become fuzzy. I kept thinking feeling that there was a place where the two could merge, and so I have thought and worked on where those overlappings might occur.

I had plenty of ugly clay monoprints with which to experiment! In the serendipitous creation of the prints, some are wonderful and some are boring. In the first experiments I simply glued/sewed things onto the ugly monoprints to try to add interest or focal points.

OK so these aren't much better.

Finally, two years later I had a ""AHA!"

My week at Hemlocks Studio did not teach me to paint, but I did learn to let go of some of those boxes that I work in. Monita asked why I didn't sew the ugly prints into an art quilt using the monoprint as just another piece of fabric.

So here is my attempt. I am using the original boring clay print that I first altered with recycled sari silk yarn and glass beads.

This week I have sewn cloth borders around the print added batting, stitched-in-the-ditch to hold the layers together and am just now finishing, via hand sewing, the binding around the edges.

The dark framing fabric and the blue backing/binding are rather Asian with small circular designs that repeat the swirls of sari silk yarn and the glass balls.

Much improved, I think. I am making a matching piece with the first photo, the collage above with the red ribbon. The items on the collage include antique ribbon, mother-of pearl buttons and buckles, etc. from my mother's and grandmother's sewing notion baskets. I will use the same fabrics to frame this piece which I used in the swirly piece.

I'm looking for titles. Any thoughts?