lovely textiles

stains

2011-09-28T09:50:00.004+01:00

It's been great to be back. Thank you so much anyone who's been in touch to welcome me back or stopped by to read my blog.

Currently I'm utterly immersed in stains. The beauty, the detail and the possibilities of them... and it seems from the positive reaction I've had that I'm not the only person finding them interesting. So I'm working on more and on the direction that I think they could move in and will post more when I get a chance as they have leapt forward somewhat since these shots.

Thank you again for the welcome. I will start blogging about other makers as soon as I am at a sensible point with my own work.

website

2011-09-06T20:03:00.007+01:00

I have a new website, please feel free to visit and tell me what you think.

I'm also tweeting as lovelymisselvis but not sure how to put it on here.

I'm happy that my latest cutwork is on the website, along with some lesser known embroidery and will have more new embroidery to show soon. I'm not a giant publicist but I think the website is worth a mention.

Now I'll shut up about me. I've a few new blog entries lined up again which will start once my wonderful 4 yr old daughter returns to school and I have some time to think.

For some reason I seem to have lost the capacity to rearrange the order of images on here. If anyone happens to know if there have been any changes whilst I've been away, please let me know.

work in progress

2011-03-15T09:48:00.008Z

floor installation - richard woods
window installations throughout - elvis robertson

my apologies to anyone who has left me a message or email on this blog. In addition to being preoccupied with a large project, I was taken very ill during Christmas and New Year and have made a slow but wonderful recovery.

This particular project works with light and extremely intricately hand cut suede which is attached to a sheer organza.

It will work as one piece across a wing of a house. The pieces flow into each other to form one large image. I also have other work in development which means I am continuously distracted.

There are so many exciting artists and incredible work around that I would like to show and share opinions on, so I hope to resume the blog as soon as I get some time. However I will be engrossed until about June and hope to share a special summer with my daughter and partner - the best kind of work in progress. At some point I will publish all the comments and reply to anyone that has been kind enough to get in touch with me.

Thank you to anyone who has continued to drop by or make contact with me. It is amazing to think that people are interested in my anorak ramblings. I am touched and thankful.

Susie Cowie

2010-06-21T16:29:00.006+01:00

susie cowie has surely got the gift of alchemy

her pieces are achingly delicate, understated and so very precious

all the work that once went into doillies and is now written off as kitsch is re-written by her - quietly and elegantly

here is an interview and more beautiful photos of her work at the blog this is naive

shane waltener

2010-03-08T20:07:00.000Z

shane waltener
makes beautiful installations and sculptures

found via montmarte's sketchbook

duplicate-blogged here

single crochet

2010-02-26T19:57:00.001Z

how very exciting

I found this via id textile blog

I love this crochet and have wanted a thousand times to be able to crochet words, but harumpfh, I never seem to find time to learn

In the meantime, the work will be available here, you can sign up to be notified when it re-opens or why not leave a message on her beautiful blog, which is here

I'm cross-posting this. I have two blogs and can't decide which one I want

Delaine Le Bas

2009-08-27T21:07:00.017+01:00

delaine le bas photographed by tara darby
photograph shown courtesy tara darby

The work of Delaine Le Bas has haunted me for some time now. It is vigorous and frenetic, urgent, direct and unapologetic. At times it is dark and disturbing, but then there are flashes of pure childish joy. These two qualities play together through her work like children toppling through emotions, joyous then suddenly nasty, jokes that go too far, games which end in tears. Of course I was initially drawn to her use of textiles, but the work is so broad. Installations are frequently claustrophobic, crammed with kitsch, with clutter, a mesh of work, life, history and emotion. There is no separation between paint, objects, stitching and writing - it seems that all elements are a part of each other, every edge is blurred yet so many edges are jagged.

Gynaikonotides, 2008, The Fabric of Myth, Compton Verney

Gynaikonitides is a work that references Greek mythology. Roughly translated, it means 'women's quarters'. In the 5th or 6th century BC Greek homes were split into two and (naturally!) the men had the best quarters. This piece references the tale of Philomela. The tale is of course a tragedy, of heartbreaking loss of innocence, of violence and gruesome acts. Revenge is finally taken and tragically the life of a baby boy is lost. This installation is a narrow room, strewn with balloons and drawings, leading to a child's cot. Webs or strings hang from the ceiling, falling across your face making you want to push them away whist at the same time compelling you to move further in and look at the detail. This is claustrophobic, yet the strings are flimsy and weak, evoking threads of time and history, neglect and intrigue. What happened to the child in the cot, was the mother forced to an act of cruelty? Who by? Who to..? The birds are singing, some find it restful, others find it menacing.. what is their significance? In the tale of Philomela the characters were eventually turned to birds but were they ever free or were they forever tangled in the webs and strings of their behaviour? Childish balloons feel foreboding. Dolls are taped, restricted, trapped. Does this relate to the innocent life that was lost or do they refer to the child that was killed - an innocent child cruelly taken.

Gynaikonotides, 2008, The Fabric of Myth, Compton Verney

In the piece The House of the Juju Queen, I feel more claustrophobia, a recurrent theme in Le Bas’ work. The emblems and motifs here are childish, simplistic, often cheap and tacky ornaments, which bring to mind a person’s history from childhood to the tokens they (we) collect throughout and hold onto for the emotions we imbue them with. It has a bride as the central figure, masked and hidden as she purveys her reflection, which is the one thing missing from the cluttered setting. Is this speaking of sadness or of mystery? She sits like an innocent at an altar, faceless but for an animal mask, shrouding her humanity and making her….what? Shy? Brutish? Scarred? Mysterious? The Juju House was a West African house of superstition, a place full of entities, of witchcraft and magic. What I really love about this piece is the same mist of superstition and mystery yet the familiarity of the tokens and memento’s. Each doll, each ornament or scrap of fabric speaks of a whole history of a whole identity and generations of stories and experience.

The House of the Juju Queen, 2007/2008
courtesy Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch

Delaine Le Bas’ son Damian James writes of this piece: Le Bas recasts the sensationalist presentation of the ‘Juju house’ with reference to her Gypsy identity, taking objects invested by her people with emotive power and positioning them in circumstances that echo historical trauma. String lengths hanging like snakes-cum-cobwebs create a delicate claustrophobia, simultaneously enticing and warning of those who spin them, hidden out of sight. The stark and jerry-built shack of the shanty town tells fairy tales about real people: prisoners; adventurers; victims; aggressors; travellers; children.

The House of the Juju Queen, 2007/2008
courtesy Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch

The small mannequins that inhabit these spaces remind us of Alice in her Wonderland of sweet-yet-twisted imagery, and the freakishness of some children’s toys highlights the ambiguities of innocence. We are directed to the true horror that some children face everyday, living on the street, living as child soldiers.

The House of the Juju Queen, 2007/2008, installation view
courtesy Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch

Dolls in white dresses recount the pain behind the malice of Miss Havisham. In the ageless doll arrayed in wedding lace, Le Bas finds echoes of child prostitution in Victorian England, reminding us of Oscar Wilde’s observation that England is “the native land of the hypocrite”. (Damian James Le Bas)

Sun, Bun, Gun, Run, 2008
courtesy Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch

Childhood is a recurring theme - see the work Sun, Bun Gun, Run? above. I asked Delaine Le Bas of the significance of this and in her words...
Sun, Bun, Gun, Run ? On the streets isn’t this what is happening? For many children there is no ‘childhood’ and at the other extreme in the West it is seen that children are like ‘mini adults’. What is going on? Child slavery, poverty, labour, soldiers, prostitution, for all the so called advances in the world why is so much glossed over. All of that potential being crushed. I wouldn’t say that motherhood and marriage have influenced my work but they have made me
question many things about the world we live in.

I love you, you love me?, 2008
courtesy Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch

Another important theme is the reference to the fact that Le Bas is a Roma Gypsy. Her work not only deals with the prejudice against the minority that is the Gypsy community and the sensational media headlines and campaigns against them, but also prejudice in the broadest sense.

refusing exclusion, exhibition view at Prague Biennal 3, May - Sept 2007
courtesy Galeria Sonia Rosso

Here Delaine talks about her background and the way this informs her work; As a child I lived in 2 worlds. I did go to school but it was never a priority of any kind and I spent great amounts of my time with extended family who were variety of characters and who all lived in interesting environments. From when I was at school I knew this was not the same as everyone else but I have always embraced this difference. I was never afraid to speak up about my family or how we lived (we’ve lived in trailers, chalets and houses). It was problematic when I wanted to go to art college . I hadn’t been to school much so my attendance record was appalling and they did not want to give me a place because of this but I argued my case. Also no one from my family , immediate or extended had been to college (I am the eldest of five and the only one to have finished any secondary school education). The idea of ‘losing you’ to the wider community was also heavy in the air so I was allowed to go but with very strict conditions. Which meant that while at college I was living two lives at once almost. I met Damian at college and became pregnant which for my family was not seen as being problematic as having children young is not seen as being a problem plus living in large family means that everyone helps out with caring which enabled me to continue at college easily.

l-r, Damian Le Bas, Delaine Le Bas and Damian James Le Bas, photographed by Tara Darby

There are definite roles within the community for men and women and it is hard as a woman to have a ‘career’ as such, so for that I am unusual. But I could not do anything else other than what I do. For me it is about creating the work, as for labels and boxes, tear it off and jump out of it. I was born what I am, I feel I have worked to be able to do what I do, which I love and I have many supportive people around me. The work is multi layered and tackles all of the issues not only myself and my own community deal with on a day to day basis but many other people everywhere. I feel my works deal with issues generally of ‘difference’ or being an ‘outsider’ in what ever form that takes and that it should be something to be celebrated. I also try and deal with the issues of the pressures that exist both from ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ a community when you make a decision to do something different. There can be prejudice everywhere even where people would like to think it does not exist. And Fairytales, read the original versions and they deal with the harsh realities of the world.

'lil bit of evil', 2006, mixed media
courtesy Galleria Sonia Rosso

I’ve always found sewing a particularly easy and transportable way of working. You can be working a really large piece of work but it packs down small and you can take it with you anywhere to work on it. The idea of it also being seen as ‘women’s work’ but how this can be used in a subversive way to communicate all sorts of messages. By it’s nature it naturally seems to draw people to it only then for them to be confronted by imagery and words that make them think about issues that they would not expect to see in something that maybe looks so ‘pretty’. Sewing is something that I can do at anytime, if the TV is on or even if I am in company. I work with different sorts of sewing machine and hand embroidery by it’s nature and the speed with which you can work machine embroidery can be aggressive but equally when I have cut or slashed works to hand sew them together is almost like stitching a wound which has all sorts of other connotations. Sewing is something I have always done, it’s just part of my own everyday experience. I feel I am in an extremely amazing position with the people that I work with in that they encourage me and have complete faith in trusting me with the works I produce. Paradise Found was my first solo at Sonia’s gallery. I sent a number of pieces to the gallery and also produced works while I was there. The space that I am working within is very important to the whole overall look of the show and so I almost have to immerse myself within the space as it takes form. The title came form the idea that The First Roma Pavilion, Paradise Lost, Venice Biennale 2007, was an amazing event for our community and it had been ‘Found’ and we were reclaiming our identity. It also relates to the idea of beauty in the ‘cast off’ and ‘found’ object.

Farewell My Lovely, 2008
courtesy Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch

About ‘Farewell My Lovely'; ‘Farewell My Lovely’ relates to two friends of ours called Zac and Reg who died in a boating accident. Zac had only recently before the accident had a ship tattoo, one of my dolls also has a panel on her back stitched about this ‘We Loved and Lost Them’. So the prettiness of the shells and the idea of the sea but also the power of it which as with most of nature is under-estimated greatly.

living together, MARCO, 2009 photograph
courtesy MARCO, Vigo, Espana. Enrique Tourino

On working with children; Mostly when I show work is when the most interesting conversations take place. Many adults say they find some of the figures especially disturbing where as the children seem to embrace them. I think this is because they have no ‘Fear’ to a certain point. So their honesty and openness is continually something to be learnt from. Their freedom with use of materials is amazing. In workshop situations the one re occurring theme is the so called ‘best artists’ in the groups get the least but every other child thrives with the freedom and they create the most amazing, imaginative and often thought provoking works. I feel this says a lot about how we educate children and that many more are being failed because of lack of self esteem and encouragement. (Delaine Le Bas)

living together, marco, 2009 photograph
courtesy MARCO, Vigo, Espana. Enrique Tourino

When I first saw Tara Darby's portraits, I was struck by their warmth. People often find Le Bas’ work hard and confrontational, yet these portraits were so full of softness and intimacy that I really felt I wanted to use them and find out more. So I contacted Tara Darby, the photographer and she so kindly allowed me to show them and also generously answered my questions. This clearly confirmed my instincts that she had such an evident connection with Delaine Le Bas and the photographs are a fantastic document of the warmth that Delaine Le Bas provokes from people.

living together, marco, 2009

photograph courtesy MARCO, Vigo, Espana. Enrique Tourino

So I asked Tara;
How did you come across Delaine le Bas? I was commissioned to document the making of "Room", Delaine's first solo show at the Transition Gallery by art director David James. He did not want to produce a conventional catalogue to accompany the show.

delaine le bas photographed by tara darby
photograph shown courtesy tara darby

Is she a friend or were you introduced? We were introduced. After meeting David and showing him my work I went to meet Cathy Lomax and Alex Michon at Transition. They also liked my work so they gave Delaine my number. We spoke on the phone and her and her husband Damien came over to my flat in Hackney for a cup of tea on a Sunday afternoon and left at midnight. We just clicked straight away.

delaine le bas photographed by tara darby
photograph shown courtesy tara darby

Were you already aware of her work? No

It is always fascinating (to me) to see photographers portraits of artists, can you explain what you hoped to present about Delaine in these photos? I wanted to capture as much of Delaine's spirit as possible- her inspirations, the way she works, the way she dresses. . I wanted the pictures to feel intimate, unstaged. . to be real. Because most of the pictures were shot like this I also wanted to shoot some formal portraits of her where I removed her from her environment. I wanted these pictures to be iconic, for the viewer to really be able to stop and stare at her face, to feel her intensity. My favourite portrait of her is the one that is on the back of "Room" which was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery.

l-r, Damian Le Bas, Delaine Le Bas photographed by Tara Darby

Is there anything about Delaine that surprised you as you spent time with her? Mostly the volume of work that she produces from such a small room. Her working space is packed full of material, dolls, car boot treasures but she knows where everything is and is super organised.

delaine le bas photographed by tara darby
photograph shown courtesy tara darby

Can you tell me what you took away from the project and your time with Delaine? A bond, a friendship that will last forever. Delaine has been a huge inspiration to me, she is utterly unpretentious, completely her own person and a lot of fun. The project could not have worked if there was not an instant connection between us as I was living in her house on and off over a period of a few months. It was a collaboration in the purest sense of the word.

photograph by Tara Darby

Whilst trying to track down Delaine, I contacted Cathy Lomax of Transition Gallery. Not only is it a fantastic gallery with exciting new artists and projects, but Cathy was incredibly open and helpful. I’m so grateful to her and highly recommend that you spend some time looking through the website. You may be aware of their magazine, Garageland which is available to buy on their website and I one day hope to own a limited boxed edition of Room, including an original drawing and embroidery by Delaine Le Bas.

living together, marco, 2009
photograph courtesy MARCO, Vigo, Espana. Enrique Tourino

This piece is written with enormous thanks to the kindness and generosity of spirit from Delaine Le Bas, Tara Darby and Cathy Lomax.

delaine le bas photographed by tara darby
photograph shown courtesy tara darby

Galleria Sonia Rosso
Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch
Witch Hunt at Aspex 5th September - 1st November 2009
Preview with Performance by Delaine Le Bas and Mike Rogers Saturday 5th September 2 - 4pm
Artists Talk Saturday 10th October 2009 at 4pm

Damian James Le Bas - to see more of his writing please click here.
He also has work in Granule Summer 2009 edition available from Borders.

Delaine will be showing with Damian at Dvir Gallery in Tel Aviv in November. They have been curated for this show by Claire Fontaine.

The installation The Walls Can Be Invisible is still showing as part of Living Together (curated by Xabier Arakistain and Emma Dexter) at Museo De Arte Contemporanea De Vigo, Spain until late September.

Delaine is also included in the forthcoming book Sixty: Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future by Thames and Hudson (ISBN:9780500514924) available from October 2009.

image courtesy tara darby

A Little Piece of Mind

2009-04-12T14:30:00.016+01:00

square above by Stella McCartney, bottom edge by Giles Deacon

I was recently involved in this amazing charity project; 'a little piece of mind' pulls together the minds of 86 creatives in the form of 6" squares of fabric, each one individually designed or chosen by the contributor.

Artist julie floersch who put together the quilt talks about the process of the quilt's formation -

"incorporating all the different colours and images into one piece was like solving a puzzle. I began by organising colour combinations surrounding certains squares that could not be interrupted. The unending repetition that I create in my patterns allows each little world to interact with another creating all sorts of different colour combinations and experiences. The denim and the Liberty fabrics run throughout the entire quilt, acting as a mediator where the worlds intersect."
Mark Noe of Marque Creative:

"Craft
For a few years now, we have been tracking the infiltration - often very positive - of modern techniques into craft forms. Quiltmaking is one area that has been at the forefront of this with young designers such as julie floersch exploring, pushing and redefining the language of the medium. While these designers are forward thinking, a traditional and historic aspect still remains through the use of natural materials and an insistence on age-old hand craft.

Collaboration
Although this exciting tendency is widely acknowledged, no one it seems has been prepared to champion this within the creative industries or on a worldwide, collaborative level. So this idea became an important challenge for us; to take, and then piece together, seemingly disparate influences and inputs to make a coherent, influential output. As an aesthetic philosophy, this has engaged both us and our creative collaborators.

square above - elvis robertson, left edge - Rachel Speed, top edge - Hussein Chalayan, right edge - Jo Wood

The premis was simple.
Leading creatives were asked to supply 'a little piece of mind' in the form of a 6 inch square of fabric. From a diverse array of such contributions by iconos and innovators, floersch has composed a quilt that reinforces the fact that all it takes to make a big difference is a little personal time.

Cause
We then decided to channel both of these two start points towards a more provocative or powerful cause.

Over the past 10 years, the crisis in homelessness has been worsening - almost unrecognised - despite the amazing efforts of organisations such as Shelter across the UK and the Bowery Mission in NYC.
This is a global issue - by 2010, one half of the world's population will be living in urban areas. A lot of the people unable to cope with this process will be dislocated and displaced. The problem will also be exacerbated, in the more developed countries, because two of the most chronic consequences of the curent economic crisis will be savagely deteriorating housing and employment markets.

top square above - fred butler

Generally, all of us should accept that we, our friends and our colleagues, live a relatively privileged life. A 'little piece of mind' implies only making a small creative contribution. This can be effectively converted into funds and then into action. However, 'a little piece of mind?' provokes a question about whether we could do more."

- Mark Noe, marque creative

Hussein Chalayan:
"I contributed a selection of printed fabric. My reason for participating in the project was based on the feeling that all of us working in the creative industries live charmed lives. ALPOM gave me the opportunity to offer support to a worthy project attracting attention to a problem that is not glamorous or sexy. I was especially shocked to read recently that the number of homeless women and children in the UK has risen 80% in the last five years, in a developed society in the 21st century this is totaly unacceptable."

Rupert Sanderson:
"I contributed an interesting swatch of leather from the archive in my factory. It combines photography and leather-making - two of my passions. With regards to the whole 'a little piece of mind' project, I think quilting is a highly emotive way of bringing attention to the plight of disadvantaged and marginalised people."

square above - Temperley, bottom edge - Kate Moss, top edge - Richard Nicoll

Temperley:
"A patchwork of emerald green chiffon with saphire blue and silver flower detail bead work, adding texture and 3D interest to the patch with vibrant uplifting colours."

My own square (detail above) was a simple image of a moth, embroidered using hair. I chose this image because of the irritation a moth causes me as a quilter.. the fear it strikes in me when I find them in the summer near my precious collection of fabrics. They make their homes in cupboards and eat into my treasured cloths. I'm lucky to have the luxury of this trivial problem. I make exclusive items, including bedding, for beautiful environments. Beautiful, safe, cosy, warm and dry homes. Those without homes might encounter the same irritating moths, eating through their not-so exquisite bedding. Piles of old bedding that we see in doorways from one day to the next. Moths don't eat hair, so I chose to represent them with that.

It's a small connection, literally the first thing that went through my mind, so it was 'a little piece of (my) mind'.

links below for charities, organisers, press coverage and julie floersch
shelter
the bowery mission
marque creative
topshop
vogue online
liberty
julie floersch - work
julie floersch - blog

joana vasconcelos

2009-02-02T15:31:00.002Z

el matador, 2007

Joana Vasconcelos caught the attention of the international art world in 2005 at the Venice Biennale. Her sculptural work is that which often marries highly intelligent concepts with playful execution.

el matador, 2007

Her work will be immediately recognisable to some of you for the volume and dexterity of crochet work. However she makes important sculptural pieces which pull upon a great range of influences, materials and disciplines. Her output is prolific, having it's roots in sculpture it has grown in scale and detail, range and focus. From outdoor installations to video, ceramic, fabric, and hair, from feminism, identity, globalisation to alcoholism, themes of intellect and kitsch.

victoria, 2008

Vasconcelos' work repeatedly plays upon the tension between the large scale of peices and the small initmate details of their technical execution. The materials and techniques used are employed to cleverly communicate subversion and strength, having great impact from afar then pulling you in closer.

gorette, 2006

For example the monumentally scaled chandelier pictured below, A Noiva (the bride) is made from around 25,000 tampons. This is not just a simple ironic nod to that which is feminine, but also a global bookmark. This was shown at the 2005 Venice Biennale and understandably drew international attention and much admiration.

a noiva (the bride), 2005

Chandeliers have been widely seen as great statements of status and glamour - the larger they are the more expensive and covetable. However this one has the impact from afar but none of the crystalline sparkle. The tampon would appear to represent a tedious chore in most western women's life, however Vasconcelos has remarked that a man she met in Turkey made it quite clear that it has further significance. In this man's culture, the tampon is frowned upon, seen as something that causes infection and destroys a woman's virginity.

the island of love, 2006

Artists often use images of porn, brutality or drudgery to convey feminist sentiments. I feel that too frequently women's sexuality is seen as the dominating force in their identity (and increasingly used by women themselves as a tool for progress). Of course there are so many other complex components and persona's which create the whole person.

happy family, 2006

The 'community of women' is frequently conveyed by images of domesticity, of repression or sexual subversion. In Vasconcelos' work I feel there is a more broadly feminine and more universal way of prompting thought about what it is to be a woman, not simply from whichever is specific to our own culture. My feeling is that her work is huge on first appearance, but it begs you to come and study the detail, learn more about it's complexity, contradictions, surprises or mundanity and draw your own conclusions. Perhaps that's an appropriate analogy for womanhood?

happy family, 2006

Using crochet, a method of craft which has obviously been used throughout the history of most cultures, enables her to connect with women of any nationality. However the skill obviously has different implications to each nation, as with the tampons.

happy family, 2006

It is interesting that women are fascinated with the doily, the beautiful intricate art of crochet and lace-making have undying appeal. Vasconcelos highlights our feminine instincts to clothe, covet, smother and suffocate by using them on an almost gargantuan scale. However these images are so frequently perceived merely as 'beautiful' and 'pretty' as the skill of the hand work is of course something so rarely seen on such a scale in a public arena. But it is refreshing to see the craft moving into the arena of 'art' in a revered way, gathering mass appreciation.

contaminacao, 2008

Her large scale piece 'Contaminacao' (Contamination), shown in Sao Paolo in 2008 is by contrast a huge, sprawling, colourful piece which dribbles and spreads through the public space.

contaminacao, 2008

It is viewed from different heights and angles, inviting people to interact with it. Made from garish fabrics and knitting, it seems playful and toy-like. Yet it creeps and spreads with parts that look like bacterial cells. It is almost like a strange sci-fi organism which could be terrifying were it not for the soft, colourful appearance.

contaminacao, 2008

In opposition to the cloaked, paralysed sculptures of before, this enormous piece is warm and human, bringing people together both in the gallery and in the making of it. As men and women we all connect with fabric on many different levels. Therefore the piece here can be experienced as you physically journey along it and as you mentally and emotionally travel back through your catalogue of textile experiences and connections.

joujoux, 2007

Seeing a celebrated artist using her work in such a number of deeply human and emotive ways, encouraging people to interact with it, becoming a part of the community alongside the makers, is incredibly refreshing.

joujoux, 2007

It will be interesting to see if the recession and our move towards craft, recycling and a renewed humility will engender more such inclusive art.

joujoux, 2007

Vasconcelos work is too wide-ranging and thought-provoking for me to do it justice here. I highly recommend that you follow this link to her website and research her incredible work for yourself.

contaminacao, 2008

I am obviously concerned on this blog with the textile-based work, but her ceramic and other sculptures are equally inspiring and significant.

I discovered her work via someone who sent me an email last year but unfortunately I no longer have their contact details.. sorry.

With thanks to Joana Vasconcelos for kindly allowing me to use her images.

Anna Torma - embroidery

2008-10-12T09:54:00.008+01:00

Material Memory with Jane Adeney - 1999

Anna Torma is a fibre artist whose work has stayed with me for years. I feel a deep connection to it and often re-visit it.

The work I am so enamoured with is of course, her quilts. In this instance it's their embroidery/illustration and content that fascinates me rather than any technicalities of the craft. Their thinness, with warped sides remind me of early quilts that were perhaps made for hospital patients from newspaper or old shirt fabrics.

The works are huge in scale, intricate, complex, intimate, meaningful, playful, contradictory. Some of the images evoke for me the dynamism and movement of Cy Twombly. Each one is a place to visit, spend time, be lost, find things, learn and always be inspired. So many things happening in each piece, so many strands, stories and interpretations.. with a level of skill, care and detail that belies their playful appearance.

Playground III - 2002

A number of years ago I wanted to find out more about Anna Torma, so I contacted her and asked where I might find information. Her response was to very kindly post me an exhibition catalogue in return for copies of Selvedge. I was thrilled and impressed by her earthy nature and open manner. It felt like a favourite pop star had written to me - so exciting.

detail of Herbary - 2001

This warmth is blatant in her work. Her maternal experience is there for all to see but she is a weighty artist, an important influence on many fibre artists. Her originality, questioning of materials, technical expertise, wisdom and cultural heritage are cleverly and delicately woven into the complicated patterns and subtexts.

Playground I - 2002

Torma repeatedly uses the drawings and stories of her children. As I am primarily concerned with the use of textiles to communicate and perpetuate memory, I find this element of her work particularly powerful and moving. A simple rainy day stuck indoors, but the details of that are not just on film or in photos, instead expressed by the children and Anna through their markings and her stitch. The work involved feels like a natural representation of the patience and repetition of motherhood and the unconditional love therein.

Are the images we see portrayed here of stories she has shared with her children again and again, reminding them all of the nights she comforted them and rocked them to sleep? Do I see monstery teeth - so significant in early childhood - so painful yet such a bonding shared experience. The monsters and the landscapes.. I see an image of numerous breasts - is that of significance to Torma? Before I knew about Torma's work I used this image myself in a diary drawing many years ago when I was making a joking nod to feeling able to nurture the world (or something like that). Perhaps the many-breasted woman is one with love enough for all..? Was this Torma that was full of love or something significant to her children? The whole piece is a big, beautiful private code within which we can all find significant parts, beautiful hints and project our own hypotheses. All of it about emotion, about feeling and reacting, making us think and feel, to me it is what makes work powerful.

Rainy Day II, Tales - 2001

Torma completed her studies in Hungary in 1979, having witnessed the textile revolution of the 1970's. Textiles was at that time moving away from it's incarnation as folk art, or genteel past time. It slipped under the harsh spotlight of the authorities that shone intently over the shoulder of fine arts. Pieces were then being woven or stitched into abtract forms, installations, conceptual work in ways that had not previously been considered.

detail from Rainy Day II

Torma retained a feminine sensitivity about her work and was concerned with the motifs from her craft's heritage, with the stitches used and their significance and retaining the folk art references that other fibre artists were then rejecting.

detail from Playground I - 2002

Her work today seems to me to be entirely universal in it's communication of shared experiences, instincts and references. I'd really love to see it in person - to experience the scale, the texture, the little details, the motion of the stitch and the emotion of the piece. If any of you have experienced her work in person then please tell me - I'd love to hear about it.

Just My Imagination - 2006

anna torma

Julie Arkell (knit to embroidery)

2008-06-25T21:02:00.002+01:00

The magical Julie Arkell is my bridge between knitting and embroidery (next area of interest). I recently had the privilege of attending one of her workshops at Loop in Islington. I had an absolute ball.

Arriving at Loop I had a quick chat with lovely Susan and a couple of the beautiful girls that work there. It's a trinket box of treasures... walking in the colour of the yarns, products and aroma from the scented candles immediately put you in a spell and make you want to stay. Everyone there is passionate, friendly, interesting and welcoming. Susan is a really special woman who clearly attracts other similarly spirited people.
Downstairs, the stock room was turned into a cosy little den for learning. Candles, flowers, baskets of wool and jugs of needles on the table, yarns lining the walls around us, the exotic and talented Julie Arkell humbly and warmly made us all tea and coffee. How lovely is that?!

Julie enthusiastically talked to us about her work and showed us a selection of her creatures. Everything about her is gentle, gracious and warm. Her energy and fascination for what she does and the world around her are a joy to encounter.
The creatures we saw were bigger and heavier than I expected and as textiles so often do, they acted like catalysts to conversation. The group was so mixed and the many different spins on the creatures, different points of view, different interpretations was wonderful.
As we began working, people talked about their experiences and craft lives in their respective countries. Each person was passionate about textiles, each in a totally different way, but the community of the group was wonderful. Shuffling through a vintage case of Julie's fabrics, through baskets of wool, it was a small group of disparate women in a sweet-scented fabric heaven.
Julie collects words and phrases, something I also happen to have done for many years. For me it was wonderful to meet someone so different to myself, but with so much commonality to talk about. Chatting about various textile artists, techniques, our fascination with lives lived and records and remnants of those, collecting 'bits' that are imbued with memory... it was a rare treat for me... I was so over-excited I was giddy.
Julie's work is fascinating. My favourite piece being that with a press-stud as a face - which closes in on itself and is called 'shy'. It's small and charming, it has a playfulness but I feel that the concept is really strong and powerful, simple and concise, it never ceases to impress me.
Her creatures were beautiful and full of character. To hear her speaking about why they are who/what they are, how they evolve, how they grow out of the paper, how she chooses the papers, works with it and then chooses what comes from it, is intimate and magical.

Today in our day to day lives we're surrounded by progress and changes which scare and delight us. Julie is a person so gentle and genuine, in brightly coloured, intricately detailed clothes, with a kind manner, without a computer, she chooses to hand write instead.. she could be a beautiful creature herself, simply not of our time. But her lively interest in everything means she is totally of this time. It is just that her insight and accurate perception cuts straight through to what people can relate to, what it is people are looking for - in tiny details, threads and remnants, these little pieces of detail that we find comforting or evocative, connecting us to some unknown artisan, housewife or child from the past.
People dropped in throughout the day. A beautiful Japanese artist, a girl and her mum, a lovely girl who clearly drops in from time to time to get help with her knitting. They do sit and spend time teaching there. It's wonderful. Anyone can drop in, sit in a lovely chair (cushioned to perfection) and ask for help. There's no hesitation, just enthusiasm from the incredibly talented girls who work there. (see what I mean here)
The course finished with a photo shoot of our little ladies all lined up outside the shop. It was like a Spice Girls reunion tour except... tasteful! Each creature was imbued with our own thoughts and ideas, full of the conversations from the day, each of them a totally different little character.
My creature/lady didn't get finished. I'll do that another time. For now she sits in a tea cup, reminding me of the chats. What I really got from the day was personal. As I'm currently a mum who has been at home with a poorly baby for the last 15 months, it was a reminder of all that makes me tick when I am very occasionally able to be 'me'. I considered my new work, my nervous new direction and thought that yes, it is valid... I'm thinking and working in a positive direction. I wonder what the others got from the day...
Meeting the other women was a real tonic, demonstrating how unifying this craft stuff is. Meeting Julie Arkell was marvellous. Her energy, gracious nature, her interest in everything, her quietly powerful work was really inspiring. And Susan and the girls at Loop - with all their knowledge and energy... impressive and benign, made for a really great day. I feel I went away with so much more than a creature. With a feeling of community, of similarity to such different people, with inspiration and energy for my personal work and my passion for textiles soaring higher than ever.
Julie Arkell will be teaching a residential workshop at Katie Armitage's wonderful home studio in the South of France this Autumn. You can find out more about it over here.
You can buy Julie's book online from Loop here.

mark newport (knit)

2008-04-24T20:13:00.006+01:00

bobbleman - 2006

Much of the knitting I have blogged about has been created by women so some of it has inevitably focused on issues of comfort, home, domesticity and nurturing. Mark Newport makes knitted art that considers these same themes whilst additionally mulling over generally perceived and his own notions of what it is to be a man.

argyleman - 2007

Here we see the comforting, soft material of wool crafted into a protective super-hero costume ready to be worn by a big muscular macho man. But isn't it generally the stereo-typical wimp that wears knitted tank-tops and cosy jumpers..? And isn't it normally the woman (who does the knitting) that is providing the comfort, protection and love for the child the knitting will clothe..? Or are these out-dated notions of gender which are continuously evolving?

self made - 2004

The contrast between the costumes when worn and the limp, empty garments that hang on the wall is marked. Once the muscle and the energy have gone they become strange looking pelts - the masks lend an eerie mystery but essentially whilst in that state they are skillfully crafted, limpid knitwear. Maybe fetishistic in appearance, as they hang in galleries they have more of the deflated morning after than the night before, more middle-aged spread than Clark Kent or Reed Richards.

patriot - 2004

These pieces are of course a product of age and context. Newport was a comic book consumer as a boy. Having been born in the 1960's, the heroes he would have read about and the stories he would have hungrily consumed were stereotypical and omnipresent. Television at that time churned out such series as Batman & Robin, Superman and Spiderman where again and again big strong men saved helpless women and children.

patriot - 2004

As a boy, super-heroes are statuesque, strong and powerful, honest and good. Is this how young boys perceive manhood? How they imagine the ideal father? As an adult male, that role of super-hero changes enormously and many men must question every day what is it that is required of them and what is it to be male. What makes a man incredible. What is it that enables a man to protect and save.

fantastic four - 2003

As a father the super-hero themes are there in any normal life (as he slips his imaginary superman pants over his trousers) - to teach children to be honest and good and be a hero in their eyes. Here I see a parallel with the empty costumes on the wall - like seeing one's super-hero father in a dressing gown or pyjama's when you awaken him to help you with a nightmare. Of course it is precisely then, at a groggy 4am that he most inhabits his super-hero role and is a brilliant Dad.

sweaterman 2005

There is irony in the consideration of how much protection a knitted super-hero costume could actually offer. Would it shrink in the rain, or stretch...? Would it shrink in the washer or dryer? Or snag on bushes...? Questions I am sure Newport must have pondered whilst painstakingly knitting the pieces. Of course in undertaking the knitting himself, Newport has taken on the traditional role of the woman as he sees it. He is raising his own personal questions around gender which are specific to his background and generation.

sweaterman 2005

Today however, the majority of women don't knit items for their families. This can be seen as a luxury since time is a valuable commodity. It is not strange now to see men at fashionable knitting groups. Comic books have increasing numbers of super-women and normal women go out to work, protect and provide for their families. So it will be interesting to see if this crossover of skills, roles and deeply personal questions will continue to change and homogenise or if artists like Newport will continue to push it further.

sweaterman faces - 2005

dell stewart (knit)

2008-04-24T09:40:00.008+01:00

dell stewart at we are sleep club

I love this rainbow
I love that it's knitted
I love that it's like an upside down smile
I love the colours
I love the smile I had when I first saw it
I love that it's a great graphic image
...and that it's succinct

Here's a statement from Dell which gives more background to the piece and may encourage you to do a hop, skip and a jump over to her site and find out more.

"Recently I have been knitting. Partly a long Berlin winter, partly a need to be always making something. The process of knitting everyday objects is awkward, like a landscape rendered in extra large pixels, the resolution is pretty low. A clumsy representation, appealing in its naive simplicity. Despite graceless appearances it's sophisticated to envision and create in three-dimensions from a piece of string... So these ungainly creations have an innate wisdom passed from generation to generation, a tangible link to early human innovation.

I have an ongoing interest in the connections made with people and things through the processes of making and presenting art. Actively engaging and interacting with people and surroundings and keeping an interested eye on everyone in the art of living.

So the knitted rainbow is appealing in an iconic bright childish way. It has the sad imperfect qualities of a handmade item, started with such perfect hope, yet realized in a pleasingly limp way."

written afterwards (knit)

2008-04-06T09:51:00.019+01:00

The written afterwards website shows an exciting and challenging body of work created by yoshikazu yamagata and kentaro tamai using fashion as a versatile tool for communication.
The well-known 'my town in my home' knitted houses were created in collaboration with textile artist mafuyu. This stimulating collaboration confronts what we expect from craft and fashion. Here we see the house as an item of clothing - that which defines us, a huge building softened and reduced, becoming something to play with or within, as we might have done as children....
Of course, they are intended to be used as fashion or as toys and were featured in the children's book elaelaopa. This is a considered approach to fashion as identity... but also as play, escape, warmth and comfort.Working in collaboration with other artists prompts the creation of work that is refreshingly wide-ranging.
In contrast to the knitted houses, here we see a deceptively complex piece of craftsmanship in an ethereal and delicate, intricately worked lace panel.
Using the panel in the forms of art, installation and fashion is testament to the imagination and adaptability of the item. Crossover is of course what so many artists do, be it illustration, film, photography, craft and so on - why not allow the pieces themselves to be multi-faceted.
Their brave approach to collaboration leads to an impressive adaptability across their many ideas and applications.
The clothing items they have produced are equally well constructed, challenging and considered.
'the everyone's new clothes' (pictured below) was a piece of work based on Hans Christian Andersen's the Emperor's New Clothes. Here they work ever-playfully with notions of fashion and beauty, turning the gaze back on the viewer by using industry players as the models.
Showing first in London in 2005, yoshikazu yamagata, took prominent fashion personalities and imagined what they might wear under their clothes. Then he presented them with their alter-egos on the catwalk.
The piece was later shown (above) to the Hinohara kindergarten in a Tokyo village, performed by dance troupe the bambiest.

I first came across 'my town in my home' via selvedge. It was also recently featured on bloesem.

janet morton (knit)

2008-03-26T11:08:00.005Z

early frost - 2004

Artist Janet Morton's knitted work can be seen indoors and frequently out in the community, covering trees and buildings. Who could ever have thought that anyone could make trees more beautiful than nature has already? But these stunning web-like crochet coverings comfortably creep across their trunks.. hugging, decorating, warming and accentuating the contours of the towering stately creatures.

linden in lace - 2003

Her work is a wide-ranging exploration of architecture, texture, comfort, values, our use of exterior or interior spaces, of feminism, domesticity, craft, language, isolation and community. Quite a lot..

four season tree - 2004

To add 10,000 cloth leaves to the branches of trees (see above) is indeed beautiful, industrious and thought-provoking. Here all the seasons are present at once, showing the myriad of beautiful colours the tree presents us with throughout a year. The whole cycle in one place, although artificially created. Presenting her works continuously in such public arenas shows a desire to communicate with a wide audience and to ensure that nobody be excluded from the participatory experience or to engage with the subject, or piece.

casting off - 2000

The above artwork is a piece involving participants who each knitted and submitted squares. Each square commemorated an event of personal or historical significance, with a date and a ball of wool hanging from it. There were around 400 of these squares.

felled - 1997

The installation above is a translation of a poem. The leaves were made from work socks, as you can see below. The notion of work is another recurrent theme in her work. I interpret this making of beautiful delicate items, from work-worn, day-to-day socks as a mark of respect for the labour they participated in.

felled (detail) - 1997

You may have seen Janet Morton's knitted installation at the Crafts Council's Knit 2 Together exhibition a couple of years ago. It is an entirely knitted interior furnished with items typical of a 1950's suburban living room.
A hoover provides us with a nod to the work or chores of the house, but the woollen cup with a frothy top to it provides us with a nod to the famous feminist piece by Meret Oppenheim. Perhaps she is paying respect to the work of the woman who would have carried out the chores and the knitting in the home at that time? Perhaps the cup is a hint of rebellion or a simple dash of irony.

It is exciting that another distinguished artist is using wool and knitting in such thought-provoking ways giving it the potential to be seen as a serious medium in it's own right. I hope we hear a lot more about her in the future. Please follow this link for a visual archive of her work.

cast off / knitted wedding

2008-03-22T12:43:00.002Z

Weddings ain't what they used to be. Nowadays the bride and groom may think nothing of parachuting onto a Borneo beach at dawn and quickly slipping into a little Valentino number for a dream ceremony on the shoreline...
Beautiful cakes costing thousands of pounds are intricately iced and hand painted. Each layer a different type of exotic cake, with extraordinary flavours only just invented.
Well-behaved doves are released into the air at just the right moment. Weddings cost a huge amount of money. Endless wedding magazines help people ensure that they look as they should and all dreams will come true on that one incredible fairytale day.
The wedding of Freddie Robins and Ben Coode-Adams was different, it was an entirely knitted, hand made creation by the knitting community. The Cast Off Knitting Group for Boys & Girls placed an ad with download-able knitting patterns for anyone to submit and be part of the visual feast.

The food was knitted...

the paparazzi cameras were knitted..

knitted bubbly...

even the disco ball was knitted...

and of course.. I spy a corker of a knitted wedding ring to go with a fantastically knitted wedding dress....

the bride and groom walked under an arch of giant knitting needles and were showered in knitted confetti...

What a wedding to remember. A great coming together of so many people's generosity, time, energy and spirit. It must have been such a magical day. You can view more of it here.
The wedding was held at Wandsworth's Pump House Gallery.

Congratulations to the bride & groom. What a glorious wedding.

Susan Cropper - Loop (knit)

2008-03-22T11:39:00.023Z

susan cropper photographed at loop by simon brown

In my opinion Loop are an essential part of the knitting community, having helped shape the current climate of handcraft in the UK. Loop's founder, Susan Cropper is a gracious, generous, open person and I am lucky to have spent time talking and communicating with her. The interview that follows is something I really enjoyed. Susan has given me so much insight into the person behind the brand and I can say that in person she is equally as warm and welcoming - I admire her greatly for her kind spirit as well as her enormous skills, knowledge and achievement.

What are your first significant memories of fabric, yarn or knitting?
Oooh, that’s an easy one. My beautiful mom, Joan, did weaving when I was a child. We had this small NYC apartment but somehow, in the living room, she had this great big loom. She dabbled with dyeing her own yarn and she’d do it the bathroom. So for a time there were skeins always hanging over the shower rail drying out in these crazy colours. That the dyes were made from things like beetles, beetroot, onions always fascinated me.
My mom was also an interior designer and since I was very small she would drag me around the D&D building in NYC (Decorative and Design Building), which is where all the furniture and textile companies had their showrooms. We’d go around and gather swatches of fabric, paint chips, small photos of design classics which would wind up on ‘mood boards’ in progress that would be lying around the apartment. On weekends we’d go with my brother to the art museums too. So I was introduced to design and textiles from a very early age and I expect the passion for it seeped into me by osmosis.

tait and style at loop

Do you come from a knitting or craft background?
I studied Textile Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC before switching to Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts. My work before opening Loop was working as a designer and art director mostly on lifestyle and home magazines in London while raising my three children. I used to do a lot of art when I was younger and have always been drawn to textiles and design. I love to go to design fairs as well as vintage fairs and flea markets wherever I am. It is colour and texture that has always inspired me.

Do you feel comfort when you knit, is it meditative, does it make you travel back in time or switch off?
I feel total comfort from it. I feel my blood get going when I am looking at yarns and ranges of colours and textures but the actual process of knitting (and I am a pretty slow knitter compared to most people I know!) is so soothing to me. Just today, it is a rainy Sunday afternoon and I am watching a DVD of ‘La Vie En Rose’ that Sonia, my daughter, lent to me and knitting a series of flowers. I’m in heaven.

yarns at loop

Do you have a personal collection of yarns, knitted items and fabrics?
I have balls of yarn that I arrange in clusters around my apartment just because they make me happy see them. Little bundles of Habu Japanese yarn and wound up skeins in gorgeous hues. I also have an awful lot of vintage buttons and velvet flowers and haberdashery scattered about. There are jugs of knitting needles on hand too.
On my bed and in the living room are a lot of knit blankets and pillows and quirky toys.

donna wilson's knitted creatures at loop

What are your favourite personal textile treasures and why?
I have a few textile treasures. I love my little wire bird that is so simple and charming. It is shaped wire with threads strung through it.

wire bird treasure and vintage buttons

Sophie Digard’s scarves and necklaces are exquisite. The workmanship of the crochet using this incredibly thin merino wool combined with her colour palette makes them hard to resist. We have a small selection of them at Loop and it takes all my will power not to scoop them all up and take them home. I have treated myself to a small scarf and one of her crochet necklaces.

Sohie Digard necklace

Also, my ‘second mom’, Joy, bought me a beautiful throw when we had a girls’ trip in NYC for a few days that is knit and lightly felted and is in the most beautiful colours. Warm mauve, browns and mustard yellow. It’s on my bed and covers me each night. Another treasure is a handbag that I got years ago as a birthday present. It’s what inspires me in textiles- layering. It has a fabric that reminds me of old tapestries. On top of that are randomly stitched blossoms and leaves.

some of Susan's textile treasures

The last thing isn’t really mine - it’s a doll I made for Sonia in one of Julie Arkell’s workshops and I just love it. I made it for her when she was traveling around South America for a year and I stitched ‘happy travels’ onto the pinny. I held onto it until she returned and a lot of love was put into each stitch as I missed her so much. It’s up with her in Manchester now.
Just holding or looking at these things fills me with pleasure. Somehow colours and textures evoke an emotional response in me.

What do you (emotionally) get from Loop? Is it what you expected?
Creating Loop and building it up and seeing it grow has been enormously important to me in a very emotional way. I put my heart and soul into it and the joy I get from sourcing new yarn and meeting talented people who make incredible things from knit and crochet has been a blessing. I feel so proud that we can offer a space for independent designer-makers to have their work seen by many people as well as bringing so many new yarns into the UK so people can see, touch and use them.

One of my favourite things is to go to the big trade yarn fairs in the States and see the new yarns as well as spending time with the lovely people who make them. I spend most of the year speaking to them on the phone or by email so it is really special to be with them and talk about what inspired them to create their new things. I get such a kick out of it.
I’ve been really blessed with the people who work at the shop. They’re great knitters and wonderful people and they’ve stayed! They’re a huge part of Loop.

donna wilson at loop

What I didn’t expect at the time of dreaming about it and then opening Loop was the enormous response it would have. That it somehow resonated with people and got so much press that it had a very real knock-on effect. I think it helped raise the whole profile of knitting again in the UK which was completely unexpected. I think that’s been great for everyone involved in the knitting community.
That we have taught hundreds and hundreds of people how to knit and crochet and seen their excitement when they can do it as well as the oohhs and ahhs that come from some people when they walk in the shop is amazing. It’s incredibly hard work, with very little profit, but it truly is a labour of love.

learn to knit at loop

Do you feel there’s a connection between knitting and community? If so, why do you think there is that link?
Absolutely. One thing to take into account when discussing the resurgence of knitting is the sense of community that it can offer. Life can feel quite scary at times these days with random acts of violence, global warming, the economy etc and something like knitting is a way of slowing down and feeling comfort. It is the cocooning effect. It’s a great way to hang out with other people that share an interest and to feel connected with your wider community. It’s a great way to engage with other people and learn new skills in one of the knitting groups or from your LYS (local knitting shop).

loop exterior

Also, people pop by with their children a lot and get help and supplies for projects they are doing together. It’s so satisfying to have people form the neighborhood come in as well as local school sometimes and feel inspired. We also have a free sos clinic once a month where people can sit and have cake and tea and get any help they need.
Some people on knitting websites give me flack for not ‘creating more of a local knitting community’ (I must imagine they mean a loop knitting group) but there are plenty of lovely other places that do that in London. I just can’t do more than I am between the shop and my children and feel it’s unfair to criticize as they have no idea what my temperament is (fairly shy) or how much work goes into one shop. I’m happy with what we have achieved and feel we’ve offered a lot to both the local and knitting community.

bee@home at loop

Do you have plans for any more books?
I would love to do just one more book one day. It would be a home book of knitted and crochet textiles filled with throws, blankets, big and tiny cushions and wraps. I suppose it would be in the style of Vintage Crochet as that is very close to my heart and very much ‘me’. There is nothing in the pipeline though (yet!).

Do you still have time to knit for fun?
Yes. It’s often late at night or early in the morning when everyone else is sleeping but right now, I have three ongoing things in the works. A great cabled wrap, a big beautiful ribbed cable blanket I’m knitting in ggh’s ‘Savanna’ for my younger son and this big series of flowers that I’m making over time to hang from ribbons in the shop and when we go to fairs.

the beginning of the flower project by Susan..

What do you think is the reason for the current resurgence in knitting and craft?
There are a few reasons for this.
Knitting has usually been seen as a domestic craft and thus connected with women, home, thrift etc. In the past ten years that has really been blown out the window with an explosion in gorgeous yarns and incredibly stylish patterns. I think women of my mom’s generation rejected these crafts as they were busy becoming more economically independent through work and higher education and the general lifestyle shift of the 60’s and 70’s. I know many women around my age were taught to knit by their grandmothers rather than their moms. Now, women are so much more financially independent and confident in themselves. They feel secure enough in the rest of their lives to reclaim these crafts, not feel self conscious about it in the least and make it their own.

wall of wool at loop

Mirroring this at the same time we have the dominance of the high street and places like Primark which is the opposite of the hand knit. Neighborhoods don’t feel so unique anymore as independent shops find it harder to make it. So, in part, the handmade is a reaction against this. When you see the same clothes and homeware all over the place from gap, next, oasis or wherever you might want to have a bit of your own style thrown in at some point. Something of ‘you’ in what you choose to clothe yourself or surround yourself with. Making things yourself instead of always buying things that are spit out by a machine and to smile even at the charming imperfections in the knitting.

Almost everything in our homes is made by machines and the tactile satisfaction of touching nubby mohair or silk or alpaca or chunky wools- fibres of any kind- satisfies some part of the human that needs to remember the hands that made them. I think craft, with all its’ inefficiency and imperfection is yearned for in some way.

annette bugansky at loop

Where do you feel knitting can go next..?
Oohh. Not sure. Just that knitters feel more and more confident to make a pattern their own either through changing the yarn specified, embellishing with buttons, trim, pom poms or whatever takes their fancy. There are some incredible things being made with knit and crochet on the high end of fashion and as people gain more skills they can take what they want from this and incorporate some of this into their own work. Just to have fun with it and not be scared of making mistakes.

With enormous thanks to Susan for her time and patience. You can visit the Loop website for yarns, books workshops and designers here.

I had techno bugs recently and lost the original post so had to cut and paste the comments below, but feel free to leave comments as normal.

Heidi said...: WOW~ your blog is fantastic!
must come back and read more later!
;o); 24 May 2008 22:00
KiTTYPiNKSTaRS said...: OOOh this is such a lovely and inspirational blog! Though I have never been, I love the look of Loop! It's just the most magical looking place and my dream shop! I love Donna Wilsons knitted creatures and hope one day my creatures could live in a place just as fabulous!!

And Susan looks so so lovely, I wanna give her a big wooly hug!!

Keep up the great work
KiTTY XXX; 25 May 2008 08:25
Christine said...: I saw your work in Embroidery magazine some time ago and loved it so was really pleased to find your blog. I love Loop, its such an inspiring and comforting place, and I was lucky enough to attend a Julie Arkell workshop there and meet the lovely Susan, so was really interested to read the interview, thanks. Christine x; 28 May 2008 14:12
clarel said...: I must visit this place - thanks for interview x

lisa anne auerbach (knit)

2008-03-12T09:30:00.012Z

Due to a poorly baby, this is a short entry in my little season of all things knit. I hope to be back to normal soon. sorry.
Lisa Anne Auerbach is a great artist, I hope you'll find her as marvellous as I do.
These are images of her with a recently knitted yurt. Yep - the whole yurt, all knitted - amazing.

please check out her hilarious, insightful and thought-provoking blog here
and her website here

Sandra Backlund (knit)

2008-03-04T19:25:00.006Z

photo peter farago

archive - photo peter farago

perfect hurts - photo andreas kock

Sandra Backlund is one of life's true originals. Her work is without trend - there is no 'this season' or 'last season', it appears that each new collection is a new direction of almost scientific experimentation for her. This brave exploration mixed with (spades of) natural talent makes her work unique and always exciting. Not being influenced, following her own imagination, travelling into her own mind... takes her on daring journeys and maintains absolute honesty. Surely this is the hardest challenge for any artist or designer - to keep moving in new directions and to be truly original.

photo - peter farago

body skin and hair collectin - photo - calle stoltz, lundlund

This is meticulously crafted work that employs an exciting combination of art, sculpture, craft and as she states herself... therapy. I happen to believe that we creative types are prompted to do what we do because of some sort of compulsion. So when I heard Sandra Backlund's views on knitting I was delighted.

current collection - photo - ola bergengren, adamsky

Having experimented with knitting at college, she constructs her pieces/garments sometimes in sections - an almost sculptural approach from a variety of materials. Sometimes the garments appear to have a foot in history and a foot in the future.. opera, sci fi and couture simultaneously.

don't walk collection - photo - denise grunstein

I came across Sandra Backlund on the
Living in Andyland blog

vik prjonsdottir (knit)

2008-02-29T09:26:00.016Z

My last entry was about an artist concerned with an earthy reality of knit - the processes involved in obtaining the wool, treatment and connection with the animals that provide the wool and our everyday use of the items. This entry is about Vik Prjónsdóttir, an Icelandic collection of designers using myth and legend, storytelling and fantasy alongside the reality of knit as part of their very unique community.
There's something about knitting which often connects us with each other, different cultures or sometimes nods to our folk roots and history. Is it because it was historically a cheap source of clothing and industry, easy to source and make. 'Make do and mend'..? Perhaps because it grounds us? Or is it because we need only do it ourselves as a relaxing, almost meditative past time and are able to take time to reflect and wonder about the rhythmic stitching of other people at other times?Today there's a new tradition emerging from such designers as Vik Prjonsdottir and Cilla Ramnek (previous post). In their hands, the beauty of the ancient craft is being applauded, recorded and pushed into new territory in an elegant yet dynamic manner. In the case of these ground-breaking Icelandic pieces we are asked to re-evaluate the way in which we view knitting. Somehow, this historical grounding feels modern and new to us - perhaps because we have become so used to our narrow expectations of the discipline. We're so excited to see people using knitwear in new ways for fashion, employing modern fibres and new stitch techniques. But here we are being asked to re-think our concepts of how we use it entirely, whilst it is still moving with it's roots firmly in the soil of tradition. We have beautiful throws and quilts, but they're nearly always square and flat... here, the use of knit to warm us is taken in radically different directions drawing us to this fascinating part of the world and it's unique lifestyle.
The twosome blanket is a great innovation based in fact on practicality. In earlier times, when homes were without heating, it was traditional for Icelandic people to share a bed and thus share warmth.

The beard caps are obviously a reference to traditional caps that farmers in Iceland wore in heavy snowstorms. They had a small opening on the face but covered the head and neck.

The sea blanket refers to the fact that the Icelandic waters are among the best parts of the Atlantic Ocean to fish. Over the years, many ships have been caught there and many sailors drowned.

You can visit their website here and buy their products here

cilla ramnek (knit)

2008-02-25T20:03:00.005Z

Framed plastic bead patterns, shown at Studio Laila

Another artist who uses knit to great effect is Cilla Ramnek. Having studied at the University College of Arts, Crafts & Design in Stockholm, she has shown enormous versatility by designing fabrics for IKEA, producing a couple of craft books, creating artworks for public spaces and exhibiting in Stockholm and Tokyo.

Ramnek has an eclectic but solid approach. Her work is primarily concerned with texture, such as the wonderful beaded glass panels (pictured top), which look like woven fabrics.

Floor decor, glass mosaic, Saturnus Café, Stockholm

Having the appearance of woven flooring, the floor above is in fact a carefully constructed glass mosaic. There is a tension between the materials represented versus the materials used to convey this. But it is an ultimately comfortable marriage of imagery and medium.

Souvenires. Mixed media. Exhibition at Teatergalleriet, Kalmar 2005

Her work shows great intelligence. Ramnek has an ability to make the works welcoming, democratic and not intellectually untouchable, regularly demonstrating an almost folksy feel.

Lucia, lamp by Cilla Ramnek, exhibited at Materia showroom 2003

Moving onto her light installations and we see more change and versatility as she happily skips from one discipline to another. Again a connection with stitch, pattern and texture is ever-present. Whilst colourful and densely patterned, the artworks remain conceptually spare, with no overstatement, waste or excess of detail - yet remaining able to demonstrate quite cleverly her playfulness with each medium.

She has an ability to apply pixie magic-dust, quirky individuality and straight, smart logic to any project. Her craft books show a totally unique approach to recycling, hand crafting and self-expression. The images shown are unique and beautifully stylish yet always unpretentious, which makes the projects feel attainable. The models appear interesting and warm. One imagines her personality is such that she cannot help this human touch creeping into everything she does.

knitwear images taken from knitprovisation by Cilla Ramnek

Ett eget rum, by Cilla Ramnek, Nanna Mörner and Pia Ulin, published by Ica-förlaget 2001.

christien meindertsma (knit)

2008-02-22T18:30:00.015Z

The sheep pictured above is called Smudge - aka no. 006. Smudge (006) has her own passport because she was lucky enough to be involved in a project with the Dutch artist Christien Meindertsma.

Working with a farm in Wales, Meindertsma made items of clothing from each sheep. One sheep's wool, one item. Meindertsma met the sheep and each item is respectfully accompanied by said sheep's ear tag, his or her biography and any prizes or awards the sheep might have won. There is therefore an intimate relationship with the processes at each stage of the making of the pieces. She gives us a connection with the source of the item, respect for the craft and the animal.

Meindertsma is also well-known for the stunning creation of the giant hand knitted rug pictured below.

The rug was hand knitted using enormous custom made needles. The rugs are commissioned by the number of sheep used in their making. If you go to her website you'll find some lovely old instructions for sheering sheep, spinning wool and knitting.

So what's the pig connection? Well. Christien has now moved onto another brilliantly clever project. This is her book - the fascinating and true story of pig 05049.Here are all the parts pig 05049 was divided into...

Her book follows the journey of those parts - how they were used and how far they travelled.

Having also shown equal ingenuity with her photographic projects, whichever subject Christien Meindertsma approaches, she applies clarity of thought, and executes each project with respect and precision. The respect I speak of is of time, connection, patience. The obvious love of the sheep and the important wool they provide for us, not just for her knitted pieces but every day in so many other ways.

With regard to the journey of the pig, it makes us reflect, surprises us... makes us question the demands we put on that animal. Is it impressive and ghoulishly fascinating or does it upset us?

There is great dignity to these little digs in the ribs that she gives us. Is it because of her obviously genteel 'slow movement' techniques? Whatever the subject might be, we don't feel shocked or scandalised. We are courteously asked by a careful artisan, prompting us to simply admire her beautiful work then to quietly answer the questions it raises in our own time.

knit

2008-02-20T21:03:00.033Z

When I was a silly, frilly, deeply dippy young thing (in my 20's, not 'the' 20's) I knitted on my daily tube journey to glorious Sunny Soho - my very own shiny, spangly, sprinkly, happy clappy City of Adventure. I collected tank tops, (I had a label called Elvis' Tank Top Shop) wore bobble hats, scarves and specs... School children asked me what I was doing, older people would give me sly smiles... young-ish people knitting wasn't a regular sight then (the tasteful 80's).

(portraits above - chris tubbs for elle decration)

Whilst at St Martin's I knitted album covers and got told off (t'wasn't serious typography). So when I left.... I knitted a cover for my hoover.... for a fetish edition of Time Out magazine.

(hoover photo - Neil Juggins)

There were fluffy, but oh-so-irritating, pinch-me-tease-me-itch-me easter bonnets also made for Time Out. They were really quite creepy. Erm - then there were giant fairisle canvases, giant knitted road signs... and so on.

(masks shown to make kittypinkstars giggle)

This Christmas I keenly undertook my new mum responsibilities and dusted off the old needles. I started to knit bunting. I thought - what a great new family tradition. As my daughter grows older, she can add to it... It'll grow as we grow as a family and each year our memories will stretch across another little bit of our home... Then my partner walked in and asked why I'd strung my knickers across our ceiling.

(masks shown to make kittypinkstars giggle)

So - I'm not a natural born knitter.

Over the next few entries I'm going to blog about some people who can knit very well indeed. And in the meantime, here's some of the many splendid varieties of wonderful woolly eye candy:

knitted cars - tim walker - for vogue

Knitted-look ceramics by Madieke Fleuren (above & below).
Found on the bloesem blog

Ruth Cross knitted chair (above)

berber inspired necklace (above) - maria ribeiro

allyson mitchell installation above - found via eclectic gipsy

above & below - hilarious stitchmcyarnpants blog

AIDS quilts

2008-02-04T14:31:00.016Z

These amazing AIDS quilts were on display at a gay festival in Barcelona last Spring. I find them heart-breakingly sad, but nevertheless stunning. They're frequently quite vibrant and riotous and their creativity is often used as a celebration of people's lives.
I hear they're becoming less popular because they're perceived to be mournful and sad. Of course it's true, they're a reminder of something awful and are a part of the process of grief for many of the makers. Yet I can't help but find the colour, variety, and amazing imagery to be positive (naively, perhaps?). The memories, planning, time and love that's gone into making them is surely a beautiful and wonderful thing.
To me they're a valuable and important part of textile history and I'd like to try and create a small visual library of them to pop on here every now and again, so if anyone wants to send me any - please do.

signature cloth

2008-01-30T09:04:00.004Z

Before I start this entry.. the piece isn't ironed - sorry for the crumpled look. If I ever frame it, it'll be as flat as the most beautiful pancake you ever did see. Until then I'm too afraid to iron it, so it remains tucked away in one of my cupboards of love, snuggly wrapped in tissue, very near fresh lavender to keep those moths away, dagnammit.
And - please click on the images to check out the detail - it really is worth it.
Well. Since the age of 11 I've collected fabrics. During my life some amazing pieces have slipped in and out of my twitchy little fingers. One bin-bag full of original Westwood & MacLaren, Biba and Ozzy Clarke was thrown away on dustbin day by my landlord. It was 15 years ago and I still haven't found closure.
Among a few other humble treasures, I'm lucky enough to own and dearly love this truly beautiful signature cloth. It seems to be a table cloth, so I really don't know if any of the general info I know about quilt history might apply.

It is embroidered with the signatures of apparently British prisoners of the second world war, possibly whilst they were recuperating in military hospital. Perhaps it staved off boredom. I find it hard to imagine a group of men spending their time together sewing like this, but if that's the case, what a beautiful exercise in comradeship. And what an utterly precious thing this is - a fragile document of an important and emotional time in those mens lives. I can only begin to imagine their conversations whilst they worked on it. Every different style of handwriting is a different life, different personality, different story...
Of course soldiers are no strangers to sewing. Before the introduction of khaki (mid 1800's here in the UK, I believe) soldiers would make quilts from their uniforms. Many tiny squares of black, red and gold were patchworked together in grid formations. Thick and itchy in their texture but warm, practical and a way to pass time. Other men came home from war and made quilts from their old uniform shirts. During WW1 soldiers would famously send embroidered silk greeting cards from France, upon which a whole industry thrived.

For sailors in particular, sewing was a necessary skill. Some would use sailcloth to depict the ships they sailed on and send them home to loved ones, frequently using straw for embroidery. Of course they needed basic sewing skills to maintain their uniforms, which is probably why wool-work was popular (think of much sock darning). Not forgetting that operations may have to have been performed on board, requiring stitches and, erm, the occasional corpse, too.
I've contacted the Red Cross and am eagerly hoping to get some further information. Many of you may be aware that there was a time when the Red Cross encouraged people to make quilts to raise money by including the signatures of dignitaries and patrons. So I wonder if it may have been made to raise money for their military hospitals....? Or was it just a memento of the soldier's time together? Or in fact made later, to commemorate the end of the war..?

I often wonder where the people on it are now. As with so many pieces of textile work, it's such a great record of history and a beautiful piece of community. When I find time, I intend to make a list of the names and dates on it and publish them here or somewhere else on the web.
The back of it is immaculate too. The cottons used are single-thread, so the signatures, whilst appearing fluid and accurate, seem delicate and almost whispy on the back. It is boyish yet delicate and feminine. There is masculinity in the biro-like colours, the subject-matter, the random, careless nature of the layout in places - yet the beauty of some of the handwriting and the delicacy of the stitching and of course the fact that it's a tablecloth, bring an underlying femininity. And of course, there is a huge amount of love and community there.

Ironically a tablecloth is that which traditionally represents family, ownership and a coming together to share food and to mark special occasions. Was the somewhat humble size of a tablecloth chosen because of rationing and lack of availability of larger pieces of fabric?
I'll post more on the subject when I know more about it. But boy-oh-boy - how much history there is on it and how many hours I've sat and wondered about the people involved in it's making. Surely, if this piece of fabric could, it would tell of war, violence, friendship, love, hardship, survival and peace. Just this one little cloth - how incredible. Probably, it's one of my most utterly treasured pieces.

remembrance of quilts past

2008-01-25T10:27:00.001Z

This is a piece I made about 3-4 years ago. And for some reason... I miss it!

The work I make is normally commissioned privately, but this one went into a boutique... so I'll never know what happened to her. My clients are generally fashion designers, fashion stylists, art collectors and textile collectors. The pieces are commissioned to become heirlooms, for beautiful boudoirs, to be shown off 'gallery' floors of big houses or for numerous chaises in huge ballroom type spaces.
But this one... I really can't imagine where she ended up. I look at the photos and they're my little pieces of the madeleine cake. Memories of stitching her every little piece, pulling the threads through each different texture, collecting subtly hued beads, my tough old throbbing fingers blistered at the end. I actually used plyers to get through the very tough end layers.
I rather cornily think of her as a beautiful old lady (maybe French?) with pearls round her neck, enjoying the afternoon sun in the rocking chair. White hair pulled up into toppling layers of meringue-like bun, blue eyes watery with excitement, love, memories... gazing through a window onto a beautiful garden where she sees her family history playing in front of her like an old film.
I think this lady wears her doilies well and whilst they're fading from fashion now, they're appropriate for her, like lacy high-necked blouses, matching china and a smattering of carnations and lilies on her side tables. Maybe to counteract all this corny loveliness, she has wild, bohemian memories of illicit affairs... and incredible adventures that make her blue eyes twinkle and shine still. After all, she was so beautiful when she was young.
The great big woolly pom-poms that I lovingly soaked and baked, are bigger than my hands. She has a lacy, cobwebby feel, cut glass crystals like frosty grass, thousands of tiny beads that I sat and hand stitched thousands of times.

dib dib dib ... dob dob dob

2007-12-13T15:35:00.001Z

This blanket isn’t about a person or a specific story, it’s about a certain kind of ‘attitude’ I like.

It's about loving the way people customise things and commemorate their experiences. Guide, Scout and Brownie blankets (for me) totally embody that. What a clever thing to get kids to do, to cut a hole out of a blanket and wear it round the campfire at night, fashioning a marvellous poncho… Then to go and make it their own wearable museum, prompting their memories of ‘camp’ and adventures. Fantastic.

Unfortunately, I was thrown out of brownies after a very short stint. Being a bit of a wriggler and rubbish at the 'obedience' bit of the prayer, I leap-frogged over the collection box and that was that. Thrown out with no if’s or but’s. Ha! I hope old vinegar-tits Brown Owl had her tolerance badge taken away that day.

This piece is my pretend brownie blanket. It’s the size of a double bed, so sadly, I can’t wear it as a poncho. I feel it’s going to get a lot more work on it, another one that’s growing. As a collector/hoarder/messy person, I love, love, LOVE the fact that all the badges I had actually did come in handy.

more, more, more

2007-12-13T15:30:00.001Z

It’s covered in amazing badges from many different places and many different era’s. I’m gradually blanket stitching my way round them. Pennants, I also happen to love and will be cramming them in willy-nilly. I aim to put more, more, l-l-l-l-lovely more of those and everything else on. Chaos, I know, but who cares, I somehow think it wants to go that way.

As I use my throbbing, hard-as-nails, leathery old work-worn fingers to stitch my way round, it’s like meditation. Whatever’s on the radio or what might happen whilst I’m stitching, comes back to mind when we’re under it, or my cat’s purring his way across it, leaving ominous ginger hairs in his wake. Very Proustian. The more I put into it, the more I get out. Memories, details to look at, plays I listened to on the radio... it all comes wafting like a jostick, back through my cluttered mind – which is magic, isn’t it?

The prayer, I also love. This is actually a print with some embroidering over it. I’ve got the precious (to me) original in my textile collection and admire it enormously. If the blogging format works for me, then I’ll no doubt be making a future entry about the goodies in my humble personal textile collection.

big fat luscious woolly pom-poms

2007-12-13T15:15:00.003Z

Big fat woolly corner pom-poms are yet another something that make me a bit trembly with excitement. They’re enormous and I love them. They feel like heaven. When I work with people with special needs, the pom-poms are coveted and stroked like pets. On some of my quilts, I added another step and felted them. Because of their size, they need to be baked on radiators for a week. As they dry out they get daily turning, fluffing, coiffing and trimming, which is another little labour of love. But I love all that stuff. These particular pom-poms aren’t felted, they’re all nice and compact and ‘as nature intended’. They still took a day or so (each) to make though… and a little bit extra to generally fuss over them.

It’s probably evident that my quilts take a long time to make. I don’t know why I do what I do, I just can’t seem to stop myself. One day I kind of hope someone will come across these few bits I’ve kept back, in a dusty old attic or something, and give them another lease of life.

happy camping

2007-12-13T10:12:00.001Z

This is the brownie blanket - entry to follow any day now. In the meantime, you can click on the photo to see it in more detail.

mother-daughter

2007-12-02T11:08:00.002Z

red betty is the story of a lady who started out as one person and ended up quite a different one.

In the film Amelie, there is a woman who mourned her ex-husband, a man who’d lied to her and left her. She lived in a kitsch little world of memories where reality and remembrance had merged a little. Blurred with time, after the tears came a little polish and shine, some embellishment, some doilies added, some sprinkles scattered. This lady, well, imagine if she was also mixed in a bit with…
Nurse Gladys Emanuelle - from ‘Open All Hours’. A strange combination? Well Nurse Gladys Emanuelle lived a small life and was the daughter that lived with and cared for her mother. She would have been surrounded by her mother's life and personality, her possessions, photos, tea cups, buttons.... every little funny bit and bob.

Throughout her daughter’s life she collected memento's and added them to a quilt. The special cherry red quilt represented a life of love, effort and memories. All manner of textile ephemera went on – doilies covered tears that had spilled, a sentimental silk poem ‘my daughter’, talked of her love, a silly one about kissing a frog – referenced a teenage talk about boys, bits from travels, brownie and guide badges, buttons, lace, ribbons, velvet trim…. anything she deemed precious, interesting or beautiful enough went on.

And then one day, this lady turned out to be me. I had a daughter, very miraculously and very wonderfully. I’ll work on this quilt as I work on being a mother, until the day my daughter wants to take it from me or hide it away where none of her friends can see it. I have no idea where it's going, if it'll get wrecked, become more beautiful or become crazily over-worked.

what i do...

2007-11-21T13:56:00.002Z

I believe fabrics play a big part in our life story and the clients who have sought me out apparently have that instinct too, looking for something they feel will become more beautiful with age.

My business is all about working with treasured vintage pieces.
Perhaps bits of wedding dress will be worked into a bolster cushion for a couple's bed, a mother's collection of doilies is used, or a piece of childhood curtains. Some people cherish hand stitching, connecting it to the mystery of an item's story.

I encourage my clients to use the pieces well and continue to add to them as they are worn and aged, to carry the story into the future.

With this in mind, I’m going to spend the next few posts thinking and talking about the ‘red betty’ quilt that I’ve shown here in a couple of photo’s. It is deeply personal to me as it is for my daughter. I might also go on to think/write about the mother-daughter relationship, as it was my mum who I watched sewing and recycling as I was growing up.

I sometimes remember funny little details of fabrics I was surrounded by as a child. Bathroom curtains, an odd vinyl seat cover or shelf cover, amazing home-sewn dresses, a fabulously illustrated character on a window blind in our caravan... I'm sure we all do.

These are such beautiful little fragments as they're sometimes so hard to pin down, yet all these little bits add up to form a story of each of our lives. The quilts I make are, I hope, a bit like this. They're little journeys or stories. For the clients who commission them they might be deeply sentimental and meaningful, with the intention of being passed onto future generations.

Well, red betty started out as an imagined story... and turned into my own. It's so precious and still has a whole lifetime to go so who knows what it will end up looking like, where it will end up, and what it will see and hear.

red betty

2007-11-19T16:31:00.002Z

Oh boy. Well the thing is I'm trying to upload more images to do a big old waffle about the red betty memory quilt. But I'm just not getting to grips with the technology very well and can't get the images on here. So this image looks a bit out of focus - perhaps it's too big or something? If you click on it, it seems better. Will come back to this posting in a day or so as am losing my patience...

nan

2007-11-18T20:13:00.001Z

“Pull the car over Brian, I want to take my bra off and let my tits breath”.

So he does.
And so she does.

Then a pair of nylon slacks and other assorted artificial fibres come clambering clumsily over us in the back seat of the car. Squooshed in between my brother and I on the way to Weymouth. Faffing about under her clothes. Her thick nylon clothes. It must have been hot under all those dodgy poly-nylon layers. The friction alone. Not to mention flammable.
The sweet smell of lipstick, face powder, Avon and alcohol masking the car fumes.

My Nan.
Who made the whole world and my memories of it, Kodacolor.

My Nan and all her colour, was among the first big influences on my relationship with fabrics, art and a creative outlook. Through clothes, colour, improvisation and her approach to life in general. She stood out in the small, grim, grey, tedious, going-nowhere… eternally 1970’s town.

It was my Mum that guided my ‘have a go’ attitude and helped me make the many soooo hideous outfits for ‘Friday Night Youth Club’. But that’s another entry. Quite a few, probably. Especially the now-disturbing Youth Club years.

OK. So. Nan - her influence on me. Any connections with the where’s and why’s of my lifelong infatuation with fabrics? Hmm. Here we go..

Well she was a very interesting character. A strong, eccentric, tactless and predatory female. Blunt and crude, sentimental and incredibly funny. ‘Colourful’ as they say.

A mix between Elsie Tanner and Yootha Joyce with a little smattering of Bette Davis in Who Killed Baby Jane. An old-school drama queen. She fascinated and impressed me. I wonder if Liberache had sex with Barbara Cartland and they’d had a lovechild daughter… who had no money…. Would that have been my Nan?! Maybe if Liberache had got Quentin Crisp pregnant (yes, I know) – or Joe Orton….

Anyway. She was poor. She had a strange marital arrangement with my Grandad. He was kind of her maid and had an imaginary friend called Percy. But I’ll do all that stuff another time as he was also a very huge influence on me and creativity etc.

Nan would start the day with poor old Grandad taking in her tea etc on a tray (he slept in a different room). He’d take out the potty from under her bed and she’d start planning her look for the day. In front of her bed was a big (to me) dressing table. On her bed were dolls in shiny dresses, looking like cute pubescent drag queens in Music Hall costumes. The room was tacky and stuffy. Was aromatherapy big in the seventies? ‘Cos my Nan’s room smelled of the potty from under her bed, boiled eggs for breakfast, Avon perfume… and a whiff of adventure.

Once she’d chosen her outfit and dressed, Grandad would tidy away the clothes strewn everywhere. The outfits were always well co-ordinated. Capes were favoured. Nylon slacks were a staple. When flares went out of fashion, she simply took the slacks to the dry cleaners and had them taken in to become ‘straights’. She’d wear something like lime green slacks, fluorescent orange nylon jumper, a bright green cape and a green turban. Then a big old handful of plastic jewellery. The pattern emerging is that of a propensity for nylon. Needs must, I guess. And it doesn’t need ironing. Not that she’d have been the one to do it... (My Dad went on to become a fireman – not surprising, perhaps, after growing up around all that static electric and nylon friction)

ufo

2007-11-18T20:11:00.001Z

After a morning visit to the pub Nan might bring a few of her chums home. These were mostly Pat, Joan (not John) Lennon and Gay Les. Pat was a salt of the earth woman from Blackheath. Gay Les was very much like Lionel Blair. Thin, energetic… wore a brown leather flying jacket and a white silk scarf. If he wasn’t so camp I’d have likened him to Russ Abbott in the flying gags. Which is appropriate because… they did love a party with a happy atmosphere. Unless they’d been squabbling. If not, Grandad or Joan would say ‘Backs to the walls, chaps’ and he’d merrily goose them all. Records went on, mouth organs came out. Her and Grandad might row – she’d throw a slipper at his head if he couldn’t (wouldn’t) hear her.

Joan Lennon would aggressively wave her walking stick at people and drive wrecklessly whilst under the influence – her motorised wheelchair. But it never really mattered because their other good friend was Lick ‘em and Stick ‘em, the psychic traffic warden.

One afternoon Nan, Joan, Lick ‘em, Dad and I were in the front room at Nan’s when Grandad came running in, soooo excited. He’d spotted a UFO. Lick ‘em (the psychic) (sidekick) was beside herself with anticipation. A lover of all things voodoo, this was such a thrill. We all ran out to see it.

But oh, it was the sun going behind a cloud! And they were a group of romantic alcoholics. Sorry, I got p-sidetracked myself here.

sea of sellotape

2007-11-18T20:10:00.001Z

Nan's living room was riotous in it’s décor, of course. No home for taste, but a welcome nursing home for tired plastic. Where white elephants went to die. But it was all loved first.

Greeting cards were lovingly cut and the pretty bits sellotaped onto everything. Along the curtain pelmits, flower pots, books, cookie jars, all decorated. After a while, the strips criss-crossing the pretty cuttings went brown. Everything went a bit stripey.

The clumsily patterned brown and mustard carpet oozing with spilled booze and boiled sweets. Chintzy sofa and chairs clashed awfully and gaudily. The china cabinet full of tat. I want to remember antimacassars, doilies and sparkling crystal, but it wasn’t like that. There were some fantastic flowery antimacassars on hers and Grandad’s chairs, but the rest was just plain, cheap, fairground tacky stuff. (By the way, antimacassars are those fabric things that go on the back of sofas and on chair arms etc to protect them from Brylcream.)

The magic and sprinkles of glitter came from her simple embellishments, the atmosphere from their intriguing relationship and lifestyle, her mesmerising, exuberant personality.

It was always way too hot in there. The fire was nearly always on and the orange glow from it added to the whole heady mix.

On the bright red windowsills were plastic flower pots displaying plastic flowers, with bits of greeting cards or photos dutifully stuck on. Even the photos with people’s heads chopped off. To Nan they were all fair game. The photos I'm showing here are all her very own lovingly made artwork.

When we (my cousins and I) went for Sunday lunch, Nan would give us a glass of sherry. Because we were only 8 or 9, 10 or 11 years old, we’d pour it into the flower pots. Geraniums seem to survive anything. But these little trinkets – a sweet jar for after dinner, next to the fireplace – would then be imbued with special memories and connections from whatever token she’d stuck onto it. Precious treasure then. How very optimistic of her.

For my 2nd year show at college (in the nineties) I did some sheets of graphics about Nan & Grandad and covered them in strips of sellotape, just like she’d done. It was interesting to try and protect the images I’d made in this way. Everything about it was a bit cock-eyed really. I was sticking stuff straight across precious images, which couldn’t be a good move, could it? Then rather than protecting them, the sellotape went brown and looked stripey. It was almost meditative applying the tape lovingly, strip by strip. But crap to look at!

But then again, totally unique and almost ‘organic’ in it’s way. Certainly tugs my heartstrings now to think about it. Hmm, so… that makes it very effective and graphic then?

carpet

2007-11-18T20:04:00.001Z

So - I was just glancing round her room (in my mind), at the books next to her. Grandad previously worked for Blackwells so they had a number of mis-printed books with upside down pages. Jeeves and Worcester, gardening books. Poetry books, funnily enough. La-la-la-loved a bit of sentimentality on the quiet. Clearly, she didn’t choose to be as tough as she’d had to be. I really think she was a serial optimist.

One of the books to her side was a medical dictionary. Perfect for her every whim. She’d look up whatever came to mind on a particular day and use the ailment for about a week to get her four sons running round after her whilst she hammily rubbed her chest. She had such terrible angina/acid/dizzy spells/pains... Underneath the books was a pull-down section that held Advocat, brandy, sherry and her other companion - her little jar of gall-stones. She was so proud of those – always waggling them at us. Funny little things.

She was a frequent waggler. She’d waggle her little finger when describing certain sexual experiences/men’s privates or poke you in the back of the neck with her fingers – she particularly liked to pinch the back of your neck really hard whilst crossing the road.

Being young, there was a lot of being on the floor. The motifs on the dreadful carpet were probably bigger than me. It never changed. Her lurid orange 60’s lamp got smaller as I got taller. I used to hide behind the sofa when they’d talk about scary things from the news. Study the pattern in close detail.

The plastic strips covering the under-stair cupboard where there was a small box of a few modest toys. A Mary, Mungo & Midge book. The 50’s tables in the kitchen and the now cool retro cupboards, which smelled of flour and butter. Stale.

The crummy cheap print of the Haywain reminded her of where she came from Everything reminded her of something. She had really very little. Anything she had was for a reason and she’d made it as beautiful as she could, with as little as she could.

reality

2007-11-18T12:06:00.000Z

I went through a box of Nan’s old photos today. Oh God. It’s shocking now to see how awful her home actually was. The curtains in the bay window where we had lunch and tea were horrific. Thick, dull, ochre nylon. Really thick, no pattern. The sofas and chairs seemed to live forever from photo to photo. Their awful stretch-nylon covers came and went. Presumably there wasn’t much choice in how they looked. In fact, the images spell out poverty more than I’d ever realised. What a dull grey place she lived in. No wonder she dressed up and had a drink and a hoolie most days. Made the colour, added the sprinkles in her head. But it worked. It’s how I remember it all. I’ve said previously that she fascinated me. Her colourful personality, language, her wit, her constantly entertaining personality and daily adventures were compelling. I’d hear amusing stories about her from other people. To me, she was exotic, colourful, inventive and inspirational. I thought she was so glamorous. Even the smell of make-up and alcohol seemed fabulous to me. I wanted to be just as interesting and glamorous as her when I grew up. A beautiful creature - gaudy and arresting.

Was it Quentin Crisp who talked about a bag lady that used to get dressed up every evening behind Harrods in Knightsbridge before spending the rest of the night ransacking the bins? When asked what she was doing, she stated that a lady should always dress for dinner. Of course.

I won’t slap on a neat summing-up ending here. I know I share her flights of fantasy and enjoy kitsch, trinkets and colourful people, it’s not rocket science.

I’ll do a big old waffle about fabric next time.

Night night. Nanna loves ya.