Here's a link to the Quinlan's website:
http://www.quinlanartscenter.org/quinlan-exhibitions.html
The process of mounting small tapestries is almost as time consuming as weaving them (no, not really... but it begins to feel that way after days and days and days of prep work!) I've just posted some photos of the steps at the Tapestry Share blog so won't repost the same ones here. But, here's a few others that will show a bit of what I've been up to since returning from the class in Asheville.
Whole lot of stapling going on! I've gone through 2 new boxes of 3/8" staples... let's see, 1000 staples per box... so that's 2000 staples that have gone into mounting boards!
And then I've stitched...
... and stitched some more.
Curved needles and assorted thimbles have become my tools lately. I found the black thimbles, called
"Nimble, the Soft Thimble" to be the best to use. I had one on my thumb and one on my index finger, plus bandaids on all the rest of my fingers to get the task accomplished of mounting eleven small tapestries--the tapestry diary pieces for 2011, and the one from May of 2008.
And, there they are... plus another one that's not diary (the one with pink at the right side of the table).
NOW... tomorrow, I begin to stitch the next ninteen!
Then there's the larger quilt tapestry in the background here... it still has to be stitched to its mounting board. All of these pieces are due at Quinlan on the 28th... lots more work to do before I'm ready to load them in the car.
WOW, poor hands, that is a lot of stitching. Lovely body of work. Hopefully I will get to gainesville. Would love to be there on the 8th. Congratulations and good fortune with the show. It looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh Tommye, you are SOOO good. I tried to get some tapestries mounted for the open studio, but most are still in various stages of unfinished. I particularly hate the stitching because those curved needles are so hard to control, and because they often end up crooked and then I have to redo them. One very small tapestry, I finished, then realized it was crooked, I redid it, and in the middle, stabbed myself and got blood on the backing fabric, so I had to undo, wash the blood out, start over a 3rd time. ACK!
ReplyDeleteI will read your instructions on Tapestry Share to see if there's any new ideas to help me.
Yes... stitching --boo, hiss!!! No... I really shouldn't complain too much. My hands are doing fine--not too much blood, Jan... just the nick in my finger when I was stretching the mounting boards and snicked too far with the little sharp scissors and got myself as well as the fabric! Luckily, I didn't bleed on the cloth...that's annoying, for sure!
ReplyDeleteThe more I use the curved needles, the better I can handle them, Jan. And these particular thimbles, the Nimble Soft Thimble, have made holding the needle even easier--they are a soft leather and give a better girp to the needle. I've stitched on about twenty pieces now, believe it or not! And I'm even walking and talking pretty much like normal and have all my finger tips.