Fiber and Stitch Collage

8/7/2019 Fiber and Stitch Collage

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b&stitch

cogastudyofnatureIim dwn to th discdd: tttd bd shts, stic ntvgtb bgs, inds i-knd nts, discontinud dsign

sms. Mn o ths mtis vok st ivs. Som hv

uniqu coos tht sut om s o us nd dingnostgic

hus. Thi wshd sucs stid o siing nd sot nd

thist o int nd ink. Cothing nd dsign ints nd ttns

bing bck oth dcds tsts nd soci xcttions. I m

ttchd to th st, smthiing with th won, mbcing th

d, nd nding comot in th jctd. How ov tht this

imus is so ug! This tndnc coincids with th cunt

cc nd us movmnt. I comd to nd continud

vu in mtis, to xnd wht w tsu, nd to xtnd th

usunss o objcts to ct somthing nw nd butiu.

sn on-sit in th dimnsions into

two-dimnsion n. Th imits to wht ou cn mk bic

do: how sm ic cn b bo

it unvs, how n oint cn b

md on sh bo it bks

t. Fbic chngs viws s,

s w. Viws must om th

tu hsicit o this suc to th

img nd th ing o th ic.

GatherinGinspiration

In m muti-std ocss I bgin

b wnding th oc ndsc unti

I idnti sci c o scn tht

sks to m. I dw sis o sm

sktchs xoing ictu n nd

gu-gound. I t to nd ghic

ngmnt tht communicts th

ssnc o c nd hods visu

M wok is utobioghic. I us

img om ntu to smboim i nd xss shd humn

xinc. Ntu is tic

mtho: ccs o bud, boom,

wit, dsicction, nd -bith mio

th ccs o humn i. Ntus

ndmonium nd tumoi cho ou

comx socit. In m ndscs

I st th hoion in high to dw

th viw cos to th gound nd

dictt th sttu o th viw. I

m job s n tist is to c ttntion,to cus th viw to sto nd ook

cos. I t to mk sns o nt

disod, to mv t undictbiit

nd ndomnss, nd sh this with

oths.

I ov th mdium o bic, vn

though somtims it is cums. I ik

th chng o tnsting wht isby Merill coMeau

aprIl/May 2009 | QUIlTING arTS MaGazINe 2


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Above: Rivers Edge II 46" 53"

aprIl/May 2009 | QUIlTING arTS MaGazINe


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In Between 1, Nest Series 5434" 2112" The Nest Series consists of three panels hung together.

intst. I sktch dtis o vs,

booms, nd t oots. I bock outnd cod coo imssions with

cood ncis. I hotogh th

sit, tking mn cos-us o fo

tht wi h m ctu xssiv

dtis: cus, twists, chs, nd

winks. Whn I tun to th

studio, I int nd int sis o

bics insid b m imssions. I

mmb th comictd igmnts

o th ndscus in bk nd

ongs in vswhich I thn tto mix in int nd on bic.

I ct stms tht bstct th

txtus Iv codd nd int thm

on to o th intd bic. Whn th

bics d, I dd to m ojct i

om m coction o bics. I coct

itms om m ccd cothing,

nt bgs, nd bic sms. I dd

commci uchsd shs tht

wi h m shd nd bnd. at this

oint, I m od bic nd toos into

m bckck nd ug thm to th sit

to wok outdoos on th gound. O,

I m wok in th studio om m

hotoghs nd sktchs.



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GettinGstarted

In ing out ic, I ws stt

with g bckgound bics on

ft suc nd on sm

ics. I to m sktchs nd

hotoghs s I t to ctu thng o th sit. at hw oint,

I ight gu th ics togth nd

hng thm on th w to citiqu nd

dit. I vut m wok ong 2-D

incis: sctiv nd dth,

cicution nd movmnt. I

cos ttntion to ving shs nd

mssing, coo tionshis, txtus,

nd combining ttn in nov ws.

Two-dimnsion dsign concts

m ntu ns, suting om so woking s dsign. I somtims

dit vtic, but mo otn tun to

wok on ft suc. It is chng

to wok ft nd sti s ou wok

s it wi vntu b disd

hnging. I us two ticks to h m:

I sit on th to o stdd nd

ook down, nd I viw m wok om

th wong nd o st o binocus.

Ths ticks giv m mo distnt

sctiv nd h m s vu

tionshis mo distinct.

revisinGI mk djustmnts nd dit mn

tims. Whn th out ns

comtion I mo gu, otn

with sing. at this oint, i I nd

s wh coos dont bnd o

ttns csh too stong, I ct

mo stms nd ovint. To hod

ths s togth, I igg

iqu, mchin tostitch, nd

hnd quit. I us tostitching s

dwing too. Thd woks ik

coss htching, shding nd bnding

coos. I us stitching to dint

Right: In Between 3, Nest Series

5434" 2134"



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cis oints nd dd dtis o n

in. Somtims, I nish th ic with

btting nd bcking ik tdition

quit; somtims I sttch th ic on

wood m ik inting. I wokon on on o two ics t tim

nd th tk minimum o month

to comt. In going though ths

sts, I hnd, css, nd mniut

ch sc o bic mn, mn tims.

I d connction to ch ics

bith, gowth, nd mtuit. I th

n oduct fcts this ttntion

nd tht m boious ocss nd

th intconnctd who fct th

comxit o i.

threeofmyfavoritewaystoGetcolorandpatternonfabric

stampinG

I ct m own stms. I cut sm

squs o om co o bss nd

ttch shs cut om tuck bd

insution. This insution is sod b

th o t th oc hdw sto, in

th sm dtmnt s window nd

doo insution. It is s-dhsiv

on on sid nd coms in sight

wid dimnsion thn th window

Above: Rivers Edge I 38" 19"



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insution. To com u

with ids o ttns

I dw om mn

soucs. I ook t m

cunt ic nd cut

shs tht t to th

fo Im woking with.

I so to m ttn

books. Ths books sktchbooks Iv kt o

s; th d with

imgs om mgins tht

insi bstct ttn. I so

to books on numb

o subjcts: histoic ttns,

cutu txtis, chitctu,

gdning, nd ntu hotogh.

I cut shs om th insution nd

ttch thm to th om co bock.

Fo inting, I us cic ints,

inting inks, nd mo b

nd t. I choos dominnt

coo nd thn dd bck, whit,

nighboing coos on th coo

wh, nd dos o wt to ct

vit. as I wok, I ott th stm

ointtion, ing stm ttn on

to o stm ttn nd coo on to

o coo.

shaped-resistpaintinG

I t bd shts into 24" 36" ics

nd coct mns cotton dss shits

tht w-won nd wshd. I us

whit thd, scissos, nd thimb.

Stting t on nd o th bic

I sw ndom o gu stitchs,

gthing th bic into sis o

tucks, gths, nd ts. I us

i ong thd nd ti o knotsv so otn to k th bic

tight nd scu bunchd. at

continuous swing ic, I nd

u with bund bout 10" 8". (I

k kit o bic, thd, thimb,

nd scissos ckd in bg d to

go t n tim s this hndwok is

nic w to snd th tim in doctos

witing ooms, town mtings, tc.)

Onc I hv comtd don o so

bunds, I int thm. I us n ints

vib to m: bic int, cics,

nd inting inks. I bgin b siting

th bic with wt. I ik th coo

to tv nd coct in th gths s

it dis, nd dm bic ciitts

this tving. I stt with wk coos.

I us on bs coo, ting it withwhit nd bck nd th coo nxt

to it on th coo wh, s I do with

stming. I us om bushs nd

dos to stut th coth with

coo. Nxt, I mix u mo oqu

vsion o th coo nd, with d

bush, I ut this stong coo on

th idgs o th gths. Somtims,

I nish b dding tin dos o coo

om th oosit sid o th coo

wh to ct visu intst. I in

this u to d on cothsin. Whn

it is d, I ci th thds, on th

bic, nd ion it to st th coo.

spraypaint

Whn I civ bic dontions with

coos nd ttns I cnnot us, I

s int thm. I coct objcts to

us s stncis: th co cu shid

md o icd cdbod, stic

scning om win bott ws,

od bits o c, sticks, nd vs. I

so us chidns stic stncis nd

hdw sto numb nd tt

stncis. In wm wth I wok

outsid. I th bic on th gound

nd cov it with oos ngmnt

o bnchs nd stncis. I s th

bic with int, shit th objcts

ound, nd s gin with noth

coo o gt comxit. I I vm s dnsit using stts nd

ight cots, I gt mo comx

ct. I hng this wok in m shd

o ds to o-gs bo I bing it

indoos. B ownd: s-intd

objcts stick with int, nd th

suting suc wi b sti.

To see Merills In Between 2, Nest

Series, visit quiltingarts.com.

Above: Stamps made with truck insulation.

Below: Fabrics created with my favorite

patterning methods.


Documents

Fiber and Stitch Collage