Wisdom from the Attic: MATRIARCHAL BUILDING BLOCKS
Needle-felted textiles, hair, photographs, jewelry, written materials, wool batting
Six Individual blocks 4” x 4” x 2”, arrangement changeable on an 18” x 20” x 3” base
Wisdom from the Attic has developed as a series of projects repurposing textiles that have been stored away in my attic for decades. As a fiber artist, these heirlooms speak to me of the past, connecting one generation to another.
Matriarchal Building Blocks began with the layering of 4-inch cut pieces from an iconic granny-square wool afghan crocheted by my maternal grandmother, and a pale green mohair throw that resided on my mother’s bed for decades. In between these layers I included wool batting in mossy greens and soft reds and lilac to aid in the needle felting process and contribute to the look of a natural aging process. The needle felting compresses the fibers and creates a solid block from all the loose disparate elements. After the work had begun, I had a dream about my paternal grandmother, and realized that she needed to be included. I found a top knitted with a fantastic lilac novelty yarn that added great texture and dynamics to the blocks. I experimented with needle felting in old photographs, hair, jewelry, and written materials. Each solid finished block is a compression of six generations and relationships: great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters.
Six Individual blocks 4” x 4” x 2”, arrangement changeable on an 18” x 20” x 3” base
Wisdom from the Attic has developed as a series of projects repurposing textiles that have been stored away in my attic for decades. As a fiber artist, these heirlooms speak to me of the past, connecting one generation to another.
Matriarchal Building Blocks began with the layering of 4-inch cut pieces from an iconic granny-square wool afghan crocheted by my maternal grandmother, and a pale green mohair throw that resided on my mother’s bed for decades. In between these layers I included wool batting in mossy greens and soft reds and lilac to aid in the needle felting process and contribute to the look of a natural aging process. The needle felting compresses the fibers and creates a solid block from all the loose disparate elements. After the work had begun, I had a dream about my paternal grandmother, and realized that she needed to be included. I found a top knitted with a fantastic lilac novelty yarn that added great texture and dynamics to the blocks. I experimented with needle felting in old photographs, hair, jewelry, and written materials. Each solid finished block is a compression of six generations and relationships: great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters.