Saturday 10 April 2010

singing the same old tune


By Thursday I was getting a little over the patching, although I admit a big part of me was enjoying it. This 'enjoying' issue was a bit of a problem too, 'you're not meant to enjoy work', but the pieces as they came together were just looking so satisfying that it was all a bit addictive. Physically though it was exhausting, the sheer weight of the fabric as it grew and lugging it about can really tire you out.



I pulled a plug on it late in the afternoon and was going to leave the rolling up of it until Friday morning but I decided I really needed to get it all packed away and ready to go to the quilters on Monday morning. So I cleared the cutting table, got the biggest cardboard roll out I had and off I went. In some ways I love the reverse side as much as the front and then I realised in many ways I haven't moved on from what I was doing mumble mumble 20+years ago.



I don't keep many pieces of old work but for some reason this old piece from my graduate collection has been knocking around and never managed to get thrown out.
I was ahead of my time! In mumble mumble 1986 as part of my BA in Textile Design I did a story all based on distressed/deconstructed/reconstructed denim. I'd certainly lose the colour palette and the procion dyeing (very 80s) but the bones are still there.... just keep it all shades of indigo or monochromatic and I'd be quite happy with it. As Jen was saying the other night, we all seem to have about ten 'tunes' and the rest of our creative lives are spent riffing on them. 






4 comments:

  1. pretty back of that dyed piece...

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  2. Oh my God this was a blast from the past!
    In very same year of our Lord I too was putting the finnishing touches to my final show. The centre piece being a denim patched map of the US of A made "ironically" from vintage 501's incorporating rivets, buttons et al.Old Levis!!!!What was I thinking? I know, totally genius! I must dig it out and photograph it for a giggle!

    Have a great weekend Pen,

    Sarah x

    ps can we chat about how hard it is to sew denim, OUCH!

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