Bibliographic notes...expanding textile techniques...

I love finding texts that help me to expand my repetoire of skills as well as my ideas about the development of line, shape and compositional techniques for textile works. Cas Holmes' The found object in textile art (Batsford, London, 2010) is an incredibly useful text for any fibre artist who seeks to create new works by reusing a wide range of existing fabrics and papers in new and unexpected ways.

Bibliographic notes...using knit fabrics...

I focus on the use of vintage knit fabrics for new soft fabrications, but I frequently find inspiration in texts related to the creation of knitted wearables. Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer produced No pattern knits. Simple modular techniques for making wonderful garments and accessories for the Milner Craft Series (Sally Milner Publishing, Bowral, 2006). This text provides a valuable springboard for the development of ideas for a range of compositions based on different shape modules as well as ways of joining shapes.

Using vintage knit fabrics...

Using vintage knit fabrics in textile works can include the combination of different coloured knits in unexpected ways.

Using vintage knit fabrics...

One of the joys of using vintage knit fabrics for textile works is the opportunity to explore the possibilities of featuring memorable, vibrant colours or textures in new ways.

Using vintage knit fabrics...

The flexibility of knit fabric enables the creation of textile works that highlight the combination of separate sections that feature different lines of knitted stitches.

Using vintage knit fabrics...

The use of machine sewing to connect sections of recycled vintage knit fabrics can include the development of sections of straight stitches as well as areas that feature specialty embroidery stitches and couching techniques.

Fabric Manipulation...Using knitted fabrics...

The use of hand sewing techniques to connect sections of recycled vintage knit fabrics can become a special feature that permits the development undulating or divergent seam lines.