Inspired by a Thistle won Honorable Mention in Handweavers Guild of America Convergence 2024 Wearable Art Exhibition. It is featured on Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot Winter 2024‘s cover.
Here’s the entry info:
Artist’s Statement
Inspired by a Thistle is a poncho-in-the-round intended to capture the structure and complexity of a thistle’s leaf structure that then gives way to a riotous explosion of pinkish-purple blooms and culminates in the smiling face of the wearer. The painterly design compels you to twirl, to wrap yourself in the hug of leaves and become part of a landscape that delights the senses.
Fiber Content or Materials Used
The warp is made of thick silk that had been frogged from an unfinished-sweater-that-would-have-been-too-big and a thin silk and merino wool blend, both in a cream/natural color. The tie down weft is the thin silk and merino blend in both cream and fuchsia. The pattern weft is made of handspun and plied yarn that I made from a fiber blend from Inglenook Fibers, various colors and weights of Malabrigo knitting yarn found in my stash, worsted weight silk, a small amount of Lambs Pride Bulky and very fine silk and mohair blend woven in the pink sections of the body and cowl to add softness and loft.
Description of Technique
I call this weave structure Polychrome Diversified Plain Weave. It uses the traditional thick and thin warp and weft of Diversified Plain Weave but adds an additional pattern weft pick on opposites to achieve the desired multi-color results.
Sketches of thistles were translated pixel by pixel to a profile draft. The profile drove the pattern development of the primary pattern color, ground cloth and additional background pattern color on opposites. There are 30 blocks of 3 units in each block in the width of the fabric which allowed for a more painterly and less structured approach necessary to capture the spirit of the thistle in the wild. 10 identical repeats of the design from the leaves through the bloom were created, blocked and then matched to create the thistle mandala garment. A lighter hot pink and fuchsia fabric was woven on the same warp to create the more fluid cowl that is attached to the petal shaped leaves at the neck of the garment. Seams were basted by hand and finished with a sewing machine. Hand sewn rolled hems were used to finish the edges.