Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day13 ‘Rethink ’ … Rethinking a work is not unusual for me …sometimes because things just don’t work, but in one recent example , it was because I miscalculated‘ time and the deadline loomed . These small stitched pieces in my head were going to be an archipelago but time beat me before I could stitch the ocean to allow these islands to float.. They ended up in an exhibitions as ‘Meditations on Mercator’ depicting the size distortion of the Mercator cylindrical map projection ! What do you think of the ‘rethink’ ?

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day12 ‘Friendship’ … This is a story of friendship based on the love of textiles and fibre art . Gallerist and artist, Anne Kempton and I have been friends for 15 years , meeting when we had both retired from ‘ top’ jobs in a government department and a high school respectively. Neither of us were the retiring types - Anne was establishing the first commercial textile art gallery in Australia and I was looking for a creative direction. We discovered we were both driven by a sense of social justice and community and shared similar artistic aspirations . Since then, we have co- curated exhibitions, collaborated on many projects. supported community art and women’s causes, and grown in our individual artistic expression - Anne includes more stitching in her work and she has had a more painterly influence on mine . Moreover, this friendship is multifaceted, deep and personal and one I value and treasure . Thank you, Anne.  

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day11 ‘Language’ …when symbols in stitch say more than words … my wonderful  Wednesday Makers group  has undertaken a community peace project ‘Petals for Peace’ - stitched prayer flags depicting flowers , symbolic of peace. . We have stitched many ourselves and other stitchers from all over Australia  have also been contributing as an impactful counter to the hate speech which seems to have pervaded  our world currently - the powerful language of stitch. 

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day10 ‘Low Impact ?’ … today I am highlighting an admirable decision by Newcastle ( NSW Australia) textile art gallery , Timeless Textiles . When you purchase from the gallery shop, the protective wrapping is made from recycled fabric - donated abandoned textiles, repurposed clothing and household linens, and sewing project scraps. Not only is this packaging practice low impact on the environment , it doesn’t cost much and making these bags requires minimal effort and only basic skills. However it has high impact as a thoughtful, aesthetic and sustainable retail practice. What other practices have you noticed retailers are using for a lower impact on the environment?

    SeptTextileLove #stl26day8 ‘Inspiring Exhibition’ … earlier this year , the Wednesday Makers Group at Timeless Textiles ( Newcastle, Australia) celebrated International Women’s Day with their exhibition, “Inspiring Women in Stitch’ - congratulations - inspiring women honouring inspiring women .   link to video   

  ‘ Craft or Art?’ … a continuing complex question, with, I guess, has no definitive answer. I’ve often wondered about traditional practices especially … as an example , temari ( Japanese stitched thread balls ). Even authorities on temari have called it ‘an ancient folk craft ’ as well as a traditional, highly artistic culture and skill in that each design shows the unique characteristics of the maker’s free ideas and creativity. ‘ (Japan Temari Association)… My mother taught me to make temari and she would always consider her own creations ‘craft’ and to me they are ‘art’!  Craft or art? Does it really matter what we call the techniques or the outcome of what we create ? 

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day7 ‘Historical’ ... Family history is often a source of inspiration and information for my work. This stitched work featuring a photo of my great grandmother also acts as a commentary on the Chinese historical practice of foot binding, hence the inclusion of an x ray photograph of a female bound foot. It looks painful and undoubtedly was , but it was considered 'beautiful". What contemporary body shaping practices do we still engage in for the sake of ‘beauty’? Historical body shaping practices included tight-lacing corsets, foot binding, and neck elongation , all used to mould the human form into culturally defined ideals of beauty. (AI overview) Foot Binding in China Starting from Song elites and eventually popularized and ended in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was seen as an idolized representation of women's petite beauty, and the practice was referred to as "三寸金莲" , 'three-inch golden lotus' Wikipedia . This practice...

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day6 ‘Experiment’ Plastic recycling has still not been resolved, and while reducing the amount of plastic that comes into our house has been minimised , some plastic wrappers seem unavoidable … Cutting plastic into strips and experimenting with it as thread is rather satisfying . This stitching on recycled hessian was made with wrappers from bread and paper towel and some abandoned gold thread .  

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day5   ‘Caring’ … so much of what textile artists do involves caring - for the environment , for others, for our own health and well-being , for social justice, for our art … today I’m advocating caring about sourcing our materials . I use lots of embroidery thread and it is sometimes tempting to buy cheaper imported threads than the ones I really love to work with, - hand dyed right here in Australia by a small    family business . I looked at one of the omnipresent online ads with its    incorrect spelling and the suggestion that bulk is better gives strong    hints about the ‘quality’ and the price makes me wonder about the working conditions and rights of those who produce and package the thread?    I care that the people who make the materials I use get a fair wage and work in safe conditions. I also care that the quality of the materials I use are the best I can afford and have the least negative impact on ...