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Monday 17 March 2014

Lest We Forget

I am feeling very chuffed, one of the pieces I submitted to the Weavers, Spinners and Dyers National Exhibiton has been accepted. Fancy that, a feltmaker being accepted to a juried show of weaving and dyeing!

I have been itching to share this piece with you for several weeks but couldn't in case one of the jurors saw it.

This piece was inspired from a combination of some sketches I made of poppy seed pods from the garden and the realisation that 2014 is the centenary of the start of World War I.




They all cried out a very obvious vase shape to me:

Initially I planned to make this vase using a resist method but then I had a brainwave and thought of a way to interpret my willow weaving skills into felt and after a small test piece, created "Lest We Forget". The vase shape was woven from cords of white merino and then dyed with acid dyes.

This is the work in progress:



The red and black colours were chosen as the traditional colours of the poppy flower but they also represent the unnecessary blood shed and millions of deaths that occurred not only during WWI but in countless wars since.



If you would like to see this piece in person, it will be on display at "Yarns in the Cathedral" in the Hostry of Norwich Cathedral from 15 May to 1 June 2014.

Linking up to nina-marie

9 comments:

  1. Very nice! What is the size, it's hard to tell from the pictures.

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    1. Thank you Laura, it's about 30 cm (1 ft) high and 20 cm (9") across

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  2. Congratulations! I actually like it with the weaving unfinished (the second white photo) but the finished piece is definitely poppy pod shaped. Wish I could hop over and see it in person.

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    1. Thanks Ruth. I see what you mean, there is something quite alien-like about it's appearance half way through that reminds me of Andrea Graham's work.

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  3. It's a wonderful piece - thank you for sharing your thoughts and photos of the development. Good luck!

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  4. That is gorgeous :)
    I like seeing the progress

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  5. Very beautiful and interesting piece!

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  6. Great piece , Such an interesting use of felt .

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