Hi Friends,
You may remember that a few weeks ago I told you about a piece I was starting on using off-white woven pieces collaged together.
Right around that same time my cat Luci died, and I was plunged into grief. I realized that I no longer had an interest in the off-white piece, and decided instead to do something about grief.
Since then I’ve been dyeing yarns and gathering together pieces of painted and found fabrics for the grief piece. Here’s what I have so far.
I’ve been using Toyon leaves, Loquat leaves, Walnut husks and iron for the dyeing, and it’s difficult to get the shades of black I was hoping for. The yarns and fabrics need to be dyed several times to get colors dark enough to portray grief. Here’s how they look after a first dyebath.
These have a couple more dyebaths to go. I could use a synthetic dye to get a dark black, but everything would be the same flat shade of black. By using natural dyes I’ll get a better range of colors and shades.
I’m also doing stitching on some of the squares of fabric. The finished piece will be titled “Mending Grief,” and the stitching represents mending.
I’m taking inspiration from Japanese Boro textiles — pieces made from torn and tattered bedding and clothes.
The dyeing, weaving and stitching take a lot of time, and it will be a while before I have much to show you. I’m in the preliminary stages, and I’m not sure how all of the pieces will work together.
Where do you find inspiration these days? I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts. You can share them with us in the comments section below.
With love and appreciation,
Cassandra
Hi Cassie, This is a lovely post. I love the idea of expressing grief through art. Fabric makes it even more personal as fabric is the thing we wrap ourselves with as we present ourselves to the world, holding our true selves inside. I was at an art show awhile back and a piece was made with many small circles of fabric. when asked, the artist shared that the circles were made of her husbands clothes. He had died awhile back and she could not bear to through his clothes away, so she made them into art. It struck me as such a meaningful way to work through grief, as is your work on mending grief. Thank you, as always for sharing.
Hi Celia. I love the idea of making a piece from the clothes of a loved one who has passed. And the idea that clothes wrap and hold us as we present ourselves to the world. Very special. Thanks for sharing.