Wednesday, May 25, 2011

textile love...



There have been places I've lived that needed a distinct injection of life and colour to make them feel  more livable... favourite things can do this, plants and flowers help... but textiles for me can do something very important ...and he good thing is often on a shoe-string... an op-shop find or hand-me-down piece of fabric can hold so much life in it.

One year I took some 2 metre pieces of light-floaty fabrics to a holiday place and turned the spare cabin into a cosy colourful 'home'. There are some fabrics I have stored on a shelf that the mere sight of make me feels very at home...
                                           ...why is this?

Do you have this feeling for fabric and textiles?

I liked this image below... put it on tumblr the other day... perhaps the ceiling fabric I'd pass on...  but the elements are so inviting in this shot.


bohemianshoebox:

places to rest easy…
scanned by moodboard

bohemianshoebox:  places to rest easy… scanned by moodboard

Here's a place for you to go on a quick excursion ...a wonderful blog called World of Textiles or WOT.
I've toured around this site to bring you a taste of eclectica... as i did I started thinking how I wish I'd photographed some of my fav pieces over the years from my home. You dont think abut it till moments like these ... at least I didn't.
Such riches ... personal stories and layers of cultural histories are found in the threads of our textiles.














Louise's Mother in The Tapestry Gallery:1911




LANDSCAPES - GENEVIEVE LEVY


10,000 BLOMSTER - Ursel Arndt - NORWEGIEN KNITTING MUSEUM



MEDIEVAL FRENCH TAPESTRY


 JAPANESE BORO - 19TH CENTURY












CUSTOMISED FRENCH LINEN - LA CERISE SUR LEGATEAU


COILED FIBRE ART WORK - ABORIGINAL BASKETS





PLASTIC BASKETS - JOSH BLACKWELL

RECYCLED PAPER YARN - Greetje van Tiem



BOUQUET LIGHT SHADE



ANTIQUE WELSH BLANKETS



A CLOSE KNIT COMMUNITY - KENT VILLAGE LADIES



RECYCLED CARPET - REMY & VEERNHUIZEN



ECO - 366CM





RAG QUILTS - BARBARA WISNOSKI


GUNTA STOLZL - BAUHAUS TEXTILES


Sann Annukka - Marimekko



CAMPANA BROTHERS








Nathalie Lete



Mina Perhonen


Patricia-Bown


Miranda July and others...

Images from ThirdDrawerDown







Op Shop Love by Grrl + dog



Chop Wood, Carry Water -  from the fabulously talented Grrl + Dog



So much more to explore... but I must leave you with something that inspires on so many levels:



eco-dyed cloth - India Flint

Read this post from the fabulous India on her writing and books: felt like telling stories at her excellent blog Not all those who wander are lost .

I cant wait to see India's second book...



SECOND SKIN by India Flint -click on title 
Almost from the moment of our birth, clothing acts as our second skin, yet we rarely consider where our clothes have come from and the effects they might have on the environment and ourselves. This heartfelt, practical and topical book is about easily achievable ways in which we can care for our planet by living simpler lives and using fewer resources, specifically those to do with cloth and clothing. Beautifully photographed and illustrated by the author, it presents information and inspiration on selecting, acquiring, wearing, caring for, making and repurposing textiles and clothing.

27 comments:

em said...

wow, what a post! i have a personal relationship with textiles, having always been interested and had the pleasure of working with medical textiles like sutures, meshes, knits and weaves, used as patches and grafts. not as pretty as these here... i really love this post... the variety, colors, textures, so beautiful!

Sophie Munns said...

Oh... never really thought about all those medical textile options you've had a chance to explore Em ... maybe that wrap around gauzy stuff. Mmm good possibilities there Im sure!
I did manage to get hold of some plastic syringes which I have painted with from a stay in Hospital 3 years ago... over 15 days I got to know the staff...they were intrigued and gave me a farewell gift.
glad you popped in with this!
S

Claire said...

totally inspiring as always.

Sophie Munns said...

Glad you enjoyed this Claire... love finding the abundance of clever, industrious people out there in this world!
S

roz said...

fabulous collection Sophie .....and i was thinking that even before i got far enough to find India's work!

Sophie Munns said...

Of course I could have included one of your pieces too Roz! Mmm ... thats a thought!
S

Debu Barve said...

What a beautiful and comprehensive post! Thanks you for sharing this Sophie.

Sophie Munns said...

my pleasure Debu!
S

Martine said...

what a beautiful post, thank you. cant stop looking at al those wonderful textiles.............
XXXm

Anonymous said...

This post sums up why I love textiles sooo much. Well done! excellant! Brilliant! BRAVO miss sophie!

Sophie Munns said...

thank you Martine!
I saw your images from the workshop in Switzerland with India... wow! thanks for popping in here!
S


Hello Mary... I must say it was quite uplifting to do this post on fabrics... something so sensual and timeless about them really...
Thank you my friend!
S

ESZ said...

So inspiring! Love this post...beautiful!

Mlle Paradis said...

a lovely post sophie! yes i see that love of interwoven colors and textures in your paintings. was just realizing the other day, the reason i was a fashion junkie for many early young years must have been based similarly on the appeal of the textiles. when i figured out that the fashions didn't actually look so great on ME, that's when i could become clear about the textile itself.

india flint said...

honoured to be part of this lovely collection...

Sophie Munns said...

Thanks Elizabeth!
Been thinking about some paintings I saw at your blog...have to pop over again and see!
S


Mlle P... That makes sense ... you are a natural maximalist... like me... Love of colour, pattern, fabric, textures. Insightful reflection.... i recall up until age 30 being focused on fashion to satisfy that interest... then beyond 30 it was all about living with it... not wearing it! Now painting it.
S x


Just delighted to share the new book here with this mosaic of your ecocolour/pattern magic India!
S

nina maria said...

Thanks for posting all this inspirating stuff! Again and again its a deep pleasure to see the beauty of textiles...

Sophie Munns said...

I agree whole-heartedly n-tse... thanks for leaving this lovely comment!
S

mansuetude said...

abolutley love so many of these. The time and detail. The color.

that shot of the sofa with pillow at top made me want to lay down and read in the sun until i dozed off. It must be the heat.

Sophie Munns said...

ha... well said mansuetude!
Textiles invite the creature comfort response... if that makes sense... sensuality... etc
Good to hear from you,
S

Anonymous said...

I may have discovered howm any tabs one can open in one browser,

thanks to you.

Such opulence
such click iness.

And to be in the same page in your post as India well..

I as wondering how to spend my day..

thankyou!

Sophie Munns said...

Hey Grrl....
ever since starting up tumblring I have had this particular penchant for click i ness... or reblogging.
So much talent in the world... so little time! My other agenda?
Well .. I reckon it doesnt hurt for us to acknowledge the depth, breadth ... well the multi-dimensionality of human expression and ingenuity. Less "I" .... more "we" in the world is a pretty good thing! Something like that!
I really wanted to post your header Grrl ..sensational ...with that doggie!
S

nathalie et cetera said...

fantastic post again sophie. very inspiring!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful collection of photo's. thank you for searching and posting them.

annamaria potamiti said...

Wow- super post Sophie- I used one of your links!!XX

Sophie Munns said...

Hey Nathalie,
time to hop over and visit you... had a good weekend away... now settling back into work.
S


Elis,
Lovely to have you visit.... I was fascinated you're working on a project with Abigail Doan and others... Look forward to finding out more about this!
S


Hi Annamaria,
glad you shared something... interesting how the more you dig the more one finds!
S

rivergardenstudio said...

All of these colors and patterns, each so different but all with their own beauty. I can hardly wait to see India Flint's new book too! roxanne

Sophie Munns said...

It but a small taste of what's out there...but so diverse and unique as you say Roxanne.
Will be wonderful to see the new book indeed!
Sophie