The instinct to reuse, repurpose, salvage, recycle, and reinvent has long been a part of Ladybird’s DNA. Like a bowerbird, this Ladybird compulsively saves odd bits and scraps with visions of a future purpose for materials that would often be considered trash or waste.  This new pillow design was created out of Ladybird’s stash of selvedge edges of fabric that she has been collecting for several years now, and include many nice silks and wools from numerous pillows, suits, curtains, and other textile projects that have been cut out by Studio Ladybird.

Selvedge stripes are lined up side by side, raw edge to selvedge edge, and then steam fused to a backing layer of fabric, with diagonal topstitching across the stripes for extra stability and dimension. The back of each pillow features an overlapped envelope closure that also showcases the selvedge edge of the fabric whenever possible. Each of these 10″ X 18″ pillows is one of kind, and represents close to a dozen feet worth of selvedge edges from Ladybird’s collection.

This bird especially loves finding selvedges that have script along the fabric edge; this pillow includes a stripe with the words “Tasmania Stretch Extra Fine” woven into the selvedge.

Back envelope closures showcase another selvedge edge. Read the rest of this entry »

The word “Assemblage“ has caught my creative focus this evening.  Assemblage is an artistic process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from putting together found objects. -Wikipedia

I’ve always loved to make collages, and I collect small odds and ends with the intention of one day using them in some sort of assemblage. Trouble is, I haven’t spent enough time creating.  The good news is that I’ve got some pretty great collections started, so I have some inspiring materials to draw from!  Both my fabric clothing label collection and my selvedge edge collection will no doubt be appearing once I have some free time to create…right now I’m so busy sewing in many moments of what used to be spare time that this blog post is the closest I’ve made it to creating something new. (unless you count that I’ve made a suit jacket and vest already this week…but that’s still in the work category.)

This is WAY cool: This Sewing Queen Marionette Assemblage by Jeanne Rhea was made from old sewing machine parts, old spools, mirror, silk, box, notions, bobbins and other found objects.

I can see a doing a regular feature on assemblage artists…these are just a few with the sewing bird theme for starters…

Check out the details in this “Hen” by whileshenaps on Etsy….I love the fabric measuring tape trim and the intricately wrapped wire and fabric legs.  What a great use for fabric scraps!

Read the rest of this entry »

Her designs may be far more refined than the popular children’s Lego sculptures, but the concept of those classic toys led to the design of these beautiful interlocking pieces that can be taken apart and refashioned into a completely different end product over and over again.  This sustainable concept was the focus of Eunsuk Hur’s “Nomadic Wonderland” project that she completed in late 2008 for her MA in Textile Futures at Central Saint Martin’s School for Art and Design in London.

Guerilla knitters have been on my radar for several months now, so when I saw an article on CNN a few days ago, my interest was revived in this relatively new form of street art. I developed an awareness/appreciation of street art and graffiti during my college days in Charleston, SC. The well known street artist Shepard Fairey used to make Charleston home, and his influence is still seen all over town in the form of “Andre the Giant” and “Obey” stickers and stencils. It became an awareness exercise for me to spot these small stickers on lamp posts, stairwells, alleys, mailboxes, and other public places. I was intrigued to learn about the grassroots movement that has spread such stickers across the country, and have since noticed the same emblems in other major cities across the US.

But, back to KNITTING…I have to say that I appreciate the creativity and non-damaging nature of this variety of graffiti. It is colorful, unexpected, and would make me stop in my tracks if I walked by any such installation. At the present, I have not seen any rogue knitting in person, but some of the images I have found online are quite impressive. One of my favorites is the fully knitted exterior of a bus in Mexico City, a project spearheaded by Magda Sayeg. The CNN article states, “Texas artist Magda Sayeg says the beauty of knitting is it’s friendly, welcoming and doesn’t destroy property. Sayeg, considered the mother of urban knitting and founder of the Knitta Please group, says ruining others’ things is “probably the wimpiest thing a graffiti artist can do.”

Have you seen any of this knitted graffiti in your town? It seems to be catching on across the globe…I’m just waiting to see what they will knit up next! (I’m also wondering if I should learn how to knit just so I can contribute!)

KnittaPlease, installation at National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (above and below)

KnittaPlease parking meters in NYC

Magda Sayeg on her knitted scooter