What's this?

Here's an interesting photo. It's my bundle of cotton, full of veg, fruit, herbs and spices, ready for composting. I'll post another photo of it in a few weeks when it's done and ready to print onto for the skirt of my dress.

rough sketch

This is a rough sketch for the dress idea. I haven't put much detail onto the sketch because I don't want to give too much away at this stage! I'm also posting a page from my sketch book which shows the initial idea for the block print for the skirt of the dress.

ideas for 2010 exhibition

After some months of procrastination and tossing ideas around I am reaching some conclusions about my work for 2010. I am reversing my original idea of taking a garment, deconstructing it and making a textile piece out of it and am now planning to make a garment out of some silk that was lining my edwardian wardrobe. This project will take me back to my roots in clothing design and construction, at the same time making use of this beautiful, aged and worn fabric. I haven't made a piece of wearable art for some time so this is stirring my creativity. I'll include some printing too, thereby bringing together all my current themes into one project. More soon...

Jan Update

I'm continuing to work on hexagons with hand work for all the hexagons at this point creating sets of 4 and trying them in different positions on black background. As of today they are on the design wall in slanting rows but I am going to try different combinations and possibly using black space between one or all of them. I am also continuing on with the old quilt that I am taking apart and putting back together in a more stable manner. I've actually taken the blocks apart and am taking 14 with me on holiday and will see how many I get done. I've decided to use a calico surround for the blocks to set them off more and am still looking for pictures from family members of outfits that were made out of the fabric back in the 60's and 70's.

Jenni update

Just a quick update to let you know what ive been working on. I have been home from Glasgow this week and getting perspex squares cut for building block and the tile cloth pieces I want to do for the exhibition.

I have included a sketch of the cloth piece with the idea that it could be hung, wall based/floor based or draped over plinths to take their shape and become quite sculptural.

I have been thinking through and planning a few other pieces as well as the presentation of my work is relative to how I am exploring this theme of Deconstruct/Reconstruct. I am also thinking of making a few jewellery pieces for the exhibition also with the idea of gradually filling up the perspex tiles with my textile pieces.

How is everyone else getting on with their ideas? It would be great to get a little note from everyone in a post!

ARTISTS' AIMS 2009

FORUM AIMS 09 ‘DECONSTRUCT/RECONSTRUCT’

Amanda Northey-Damms
My interpretation of this theme is related to my background in clothing design and manufacture. At this point in working through the concept of deconstruct/reconstruct I plan to experiment with deconstructing a T shirt, decomposing it to some extent then using the resulting cloth to create an image using print and stitch. Through this process a printed image on a T shirt turns from a fashion statement into an art statement. Taking a garment that has come to the end of it’s useful life, and creating an art piece from it is reminiscent of the traditional approach to patchwork through which old clothing was recycled to produce a functional and beautiful quilt.


Jan Blair
My interpretation of this theme currently is to create, using patchwork pieces, a design (either tumbling blocks or solid blocks) and to then reassemble in a different fashion. This will be used in small and medium size pieces, possibly some in frames and possibly some that will be a mirror image using different backgrounds or foreground fabric. Besides this I am going to somehow use a quilt I began in 1973 made of fabrics from my childhood sewing of clothes from family pieces. Hopefully I will also be able to obtain some photographs of the owners wearing them from photos.


Lesley Frew
My work is always inspired by natural or organic shapes. So for the theme deconstruct/ reconstruct I am concentrating on cell forms, looking into the developments through-out their lifecycle, as they form and break down. I construct my material using recycled plastic bags, making something from nothing, just like cells.


Heather Irwin
At this early stage in this year’s forum I feel that I will probably take a literal interpretation of the theme deconstruction/reconstruction. I will probably incorporate natural and non woven fabric in addition to paper and paint.


Jennifer Lemon
Using the linear visuals of maps, satellite urban images and road markings, where areas have been deconstructed, layered and reconstructed again as inspiration for my textile pieces. I am also planning to approach the theme of Deconstruct/Reconstruct not only through the design visual of the textiles themselves but also in how the pieces are presented. Creating quite sculptural works with the idea of building up and taking down blocks creating almost an urban landscape. This work I hope could possibly be both floor installations and wall based.

Frances Sawaya
Fabric is much more interesting when it is cut up and rearranged." This is probably a perfect notion for the theme of deconstruct/reconstruct and is very much in keeping with patchwork and quilting. Several ideas have been floating through my mind: deconstructing/reconstructing the seasons of the year in a series of colourwash quilts with an emphasis on how colour can translate into mood; "SLIVERS" which might be an effort to extend the lines within slivers of aboriginal fabrics into textured surfaces and lines; and "Between Pacific Tides" which will be translations from my photos of the sand tracings from Oceanside, California into dyed or painted fabrics. As always---too many ideas and too little time.

Jenni's update

Jenni signing in here, and like Amanda I’ve been doing some drawings and sketches for my textiles. MY plan is to explore the theme deconstruct/reconstruct not only in the way I’m building up my pieces almost like an urban model of building blocks but also through the inspiration of the textiles I’m making.



Looking at road/urban maps and satellite images and from directly taking drawing of joins in the road, tarmac and paint marks, all areas where construction, deconstruction and reconstruction have taken place. I’m thinking of areas which have the paint marks that I might include some mono printing or directly draw onto the fabric then stitch on top in order to give the freeness rather than using straight ruled lines, all at the development stage at this point.





In the drawing I like the areas of free hand markings which I plan to be the areas of detailed hand stitching, and the shaded areas machine stitched, but like the drawings I think I will plan as I am working on it. I like to work on a few pieces at the same time, I think it helps me in not over thinking the piece and looking at it too much I feel my work loses its appeal if it is too planned or thought our to a point. I have also just had over 10 metres of calico arrive so I think I have plenty of fabric to keep me working!!! Look forward to hear how everyone else is doing soon and if there are any advancements or changes in ideas???
Jennifer Lemon.