Textile Art : A New Frontier

Designing a Tiny Textile Museum

Last fall, I scrolled through my IG account as I waited in the plane on my way to the scottish Isle of Iona. Suddenly, something interesting caught my eye.

Next thing I knew, I’d answered a call to enter a mixed-media competition to celebrate 25 years of business in Dinan (a mediaeval city not far from my house) with Claude from La Maison Bleu Lin. ( I STILL have no idea why I did that, I can’t remember the last time I entered a competition…)

A few weeks later,  she sent me a package bursting with antique delights.

Mother-of-Pearl buttons, handmade lace, various fabrics including some handwoven linen, old postal tags & stamps, trim & even a page from a Journal with embroidery patterns from May 1, 1951.

My challenge was to bring all 25 pieces together into a unique textile creation.

The first thing I did was to take all the pieces out, photograph them & put them back into their envelope...

then MONTHS passed.

I planned to dive into my sketchbook & wander through my mini collection of French ephemera to see what came up. Again and again, I approached this project from different angles, waiting for something to feel "right".

I worked following my Creatrix Spiral to imbue my creation with fresh energies, to allow my creativity free-rein & hopefully try some new creative skills.

During my fibre-life, I've always created functional items - clothes, accessories, purses, cushions, curtains, toys, & even, jewellery. 

This felt like it was supposed to be a display piece (aka textile art). 

A new frontier for me.

I was heading into the unknown...yet again. 😉

Stay tuned for more pics of the project as it went from a pile of bits & pieces to a Tiny Textile Museum!

Elizabeth 🌺