Carrying On I

This is the second piece I completed using woven cotton strips. I combined them with fabric I painted and quilted VERY densely. I thought I would quilt in a larger circular pattern, but it added too much texture and competed with the woven side, so back to the machine for hours. Both the front and back are quilted in a pattern of lines approximately an eighth of an inch apart so the surface has less raised texture and appears softer.

In developing forms for this series, I am influenced by the Native parfleche: envelope, cylindrical or box shaped vessels used to carry items while on the move. The title of this series, CARRYING ON, obviously references the purpose of the vessels (mine are not functional) but also implies the use of new materials and a new presentation of these forms, with a little twist and a little tribute. I have one more complete and another on the way…from the studio