Tag Archives: embroidery

Jan 28 2021
1 Comment
creativity, fibre art, postcards, Short Fiction, textile art, Uncategorized

A postcard

Back of She Wanders, 2021, DMC #8 thread and printed postcard, by Laura Wythe

Stitching up a memento to summarize a whole year on the back of a postcard is a challenge even in the best of years. This one is for 2020.

In January 2021, the embroidery guild I belong to invited members to create a postcard to swap. The theme is “What 2020 meant to me.” It’s been a remarkably full year, where babies were born and died, teaching became a technical vocation, friends celebrated decades of life without fanfare, a grant was written, stories collected and this writer/artist learned what self-care really meant.

We are currently in another tight lock down, making the swap idea a very appealing way to connect. The postcard has a physicality that needs time to make, send, receive and savour. And perhaps bring love and a smile to someone.

The size is small, though honestly, it just means I stitch smaller! Like many, I searched through what I have at home for inspiration. There was enough left of a fat quarter with a street print, a place I’d love to walk. As well, I have a bunch of postcards for The Bones designed by Chazza. Using one seemed very appropriate as we hear of the pandemic coming and going in waves.

This postcard goes to an unknown guild member, but if you are interested in a swap, let me know.

She Wanders,
2021, floss on printed cotton, cotton fill on printed postcard, by Laura Wythe
Advertisement
Tagged , , , , ,
Apr 06 2018
2 Comments
climate change, fibre art, galleries, illustration, Tecumseh's bones, textile art, Uncategorized

Text to Textiles

poster_text to textiles.rev6

I thought I’d be writing a lot more about the process for making this collection of illustrations/fibre artworks. It’s not that I haven’t been documenting the progress. But for now, I’m pleased to have the work hanging all together, and I look forward very much to hearing feedback. The next few months will be a time of closure and reflection on a project that’s taken up a lot of space for the last 3 years. 

Here’s the blurb about the exhibit. The best is last: the artwork is posted below the blurb.

Text to Textile is a exhibition of fibre art illustrations based on the novel, The Bones, by Laura Wythe.

Text to Textile runs from April 3rd to April 28th  in the Sifton Room at the Masonville Branch Library, 30 North Centre Road, London ON, Canada.

The show opens on Saturday April 7th from 1-4 PM with readings from the novel by author and artist Laura Wythe.

Each image in Text to Textile is translated from the text onto silk, table linens or canvas, and carries an aspect of a character in the novel.

The artist infuses various embroidery traditions with a new point of view, highlighting the fragility of cloth and life, borrowing from news stories of local and global flooding to show the precarious hold we have on the land.

The illustrations are mounted as a conservationist might; fragments are carefully stitched onto linen stretched onto acid-free boards. Each illustration is accompanied by a text from the story. The process of creating the illustrations is also highlighted.

Laura is a teacher, artist, writer and long-time environmental activist. Three times her plays about community and the environment were chosen for the Grand Theatre’s Playwright’s Cabaret. She has studied Fashion Design at Ryerson and has a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Guelph. She is a member of the Canadian Embroiderers Guild, and lives and works in London Ontario.

Stricken City by Laura Wythe
Tecumseh Fell Here by Laura Wythe
Safety Net: the Annex Trial by Laura Wythe
Witness to Purity by Laura Wythe
Rebecca, the Last Galloway by Laura Wythe
Caskets on the Loose by Laura Wythe
Sprinkler System by Laura Wythe
Rain Whisperer by Laura Wythe
Indian Territory, 1774 by Laura Wythe
Woven into the Fabric of Chatham County by Laura Wythe
Death of Simple Pi by Laura Wythe
Drawn into Catherine’s Orbit by Laura Wythe
Crossing the Great Lake by Laura Wythe
Thomas Waits Where Highway 3 Has Fallen off the Map by Laura Wythe
A Great Void by Laura Wythe
Dominion of Catherine by Laura Wythe

Tagged , , ,
Mar 19 2017
4 Comments
art, fibre art, Sewing Projects, textile art, Uncategorized, Yarn

Joy of colour

It’s been a grey monotone winter, and I’ve been working on a large project with a theme of rain. More greys and damp and sombreness. Every now and again, there’s a tiny break in the grey blanket of sky, shadows, even a bit of blue. It doesn’t matter if it’s morning or night, it’s all a progression of grey.

SariSplendor_detail

Detail of Sari Splendor square by Laura Wythe

Into the grey came a workshop called Indian Splendor led by Donna Funnel, hosted by the London branch of the Canadian Embroiders Guild. Step by step we were led to a guarantee of colour harmony and wonder. It really is important to trust the instructor, especially when they say, choose your colours, any colours will work.

Sari ribbon is a new material for me, and of course, the ribbons came in brilliant colours and textures. Donna also had some sari silk yarn that matched the silks but brought another layer of texture when all was done. We created a base with the ribbons, then cut and embellished. Of course, I bling-ed my project up with shiny yarns, sequins and beads–and some variegated silk thread.

So, here’s the finished project.

SariSplendor_full

Full size Sari Splendor square by Laura Wythe

Donna has used the squares in an entirely different way to create a stunningly detailed wall hanging. Simple structure, amazing results.

What a riot of colour for a dull winter’s day.

Tagged , , , , ,
%d bloggers like this: