merging cloth with cloth

the midwinter long cloth has been resting in its work box these past couple days while i've been cavorting with cloth strips and jude hill's cloth to cloth workshop and am thoroughly enamored by the process!  i can so hardly wait for her contemporary woven boro workshop to commence.

now, i have a background in weaving (i studied zapotec weaving with an 8th generation weaving friend and family in oaxaca (mexico) and have woven rugs, tapestries, rag rugs and bobbin lace for many years. however, i'd not even entertained the idea of weaving cloth to beget cloth! it's been one long continuous "duh!" experience and i am completely under its influence now...

the snow has all melted in the rain these past few days here in boise, idaho and even the rain has quieted down to a light drizzle, so it was good to get outside by the waterfall and pond, if even for only a few minutes before getting soaked.  this first woven cloth that i did (as well as the other two experiments) delves deeply into the madness which i have come to know while exploring this workshop.  why madness?  could it be because i did not bring any fabrics with me (aside from the midwinter long cloth, which was started before leaving for idaho) and i did not long to go out and purchase new cloth to use knowing that i have two rooms full to overflowing with cloth, both new and repurposed?  perhaps.  but madness probably more because of the manner in which i chose to feed the addiction that jude has introduced me to...

i arrived at the folks' nest with an overstuffed suitcase, not being one who knows how to pack lightly because i can't bear to leave behind too many of my favorite clothes. not having any other source of cloth at my disposal (save for a couple stray fat quarters and the odd cloth napkin found in the job box of my truck) my gaze turned toward the overabundance of cloth that nestled safely in the old leather suitcase at the foot of my bed.  "hmmmm...do i dare?"  without further further contemplation, scissors were flashing and cloth was ripping and before i knew it, i had an enticing heap of cloth strips to dabble about with! yes, by this i quite intend to convey that i have cut up several several shirts and even a pair or two of boxers with which to weave cloth.  are you able to wrap your mind around this idea? i perpetrated this carnage against my own wardrobe, quite joyfully i might add, and i'm still uncertain if i can get mine wrapped securely around it! hence, the reference to madness...

in any case, here is the result of that manic insanity.  this is the first cloth.  it has been stitched alongside every raw edge thus far.  i am quite certain it will get much more kantha stitching...but am allowing it to rest a bit until it reveals what it wishes to become...

and here is a close up (still with the inadequate droid cam)...

i suppose in this manner, i will have these clothes around much longer than if i continued to wear them...

the stitching on this first cloth has taken several hours as it is a rather large cloth (the strips are about 2 inches wide).  i thought about tearing them narrower, but didn't want to lose the print on some of them...  the stitching itself is done with various hand dyed variegated pearl cotton threads. some are lost in the prints and are more subtle, others stand out in a bit more contrast...

next, i pulled from my weaving background and wove to more cloths...one in a basketweave pattern (over 2, under 1):

and a freeform woven cloth, primarily because i wanted to see more of the central horizontal strip of fabric. the darker strip running vertically through the center of the cloth is begging to be embroidered or to become the background for applique' or some other work (either that, or will be replaced before basting so as not to detract from the mudcloth strip):

i have several other ideas roaming around in my skull but will need to tear narrower strips to allow for more complicated weave structures without having to create cloths that are larger than the approximate 16" x 22" format of these cloths.

for now, the weather soothsayers are predicting a massive snowstorm headed our way.  just in time for my journey home to montana tomorrow, how very special!  the rest of this day shall be spent in preparations for that journey, time with the folks, and perhaps a little basting this evening...

namaste'