New fibulae

Moving right along here…. the jacket quilt is almost completely stitched, and all the new fibulae are drying. When I was creating the first batch of fibulae, I followed my usual path of going way overboard: why make one weaving figure when you can make six! or seven! Quite a few characters were holding niddy-noddies, but not one was carding wool.

So this batch has figures performing all the steps needed to process wool, from fleece to fabric. And they’re arranged in a lovely swirl, leading your eye all around the quilt. The fibulae aren’t strictly in order - but they do start with sheep shearing and end up at the sewing machine. Close enough. You can keep track of where the fibulae are located on the numbered swirl, below.

1. Starting with shearing the sheep, one image is from an old tapestry and another from a painting.

2. Fulling the fleece - stomping on urine-soaked wool. This illustration shows the women stomping in a pond. One is holding a small keg to add more urine.

3. Carding the wool. As you can see (below) these tools have many tiny holes poked into the clay, so that after firing, I can add all the wires which belong in a carding tool.

4. Dyeing the wool. This can happen at several different points in the process, and wool was sometimes dyed more than once. Like fulling, dyeing can be a smelly process, so I decided to position the dyers in the armpit of the sleeve.

5. Weaving. This is an image I gathered to use in the first batch of fibulae, but never actually made. It will be partially tucked under the lapel of the jacket. The warp threads will be added after firing.

6. Ironing! Ideally, they would be located after the sewing machines, but I love the way they fit over the collar backing.

7. Napping the wool. Remember the teasels? These two figures will be napping the wool around the gray neckline. There are plenty of holes to add very tiny teasels…. don’t know what I’m going to use as teasel-substitutes.

8. Sewing machine operators, from the many images I collected when making the fairy tale tapestries.

9. Washing the clothing, using a wash board, big bucket and a pot to add hot water.

10. These two are leftovers from the first batch of fibulae. Those pink spots that look like balloons are just the heads of the long pins.

There are three more fibulae which will sit atop the jacket-figure’s shoulder. These are the Moirai - the Fates, which are said to spin out, measure and cut each lifespan. Next week we’ll take a detour and learn more about them.

They will be extra dark, barely visible, so they won’t interfere with the visual flow.

The Jacket Mannequin is also progressing nicely. So - all good here. Hope you are staying well and reasonably sane, yes?

Diane

The Jon Riis show at the Morris Museum

The last museum show I saw was a year ago, just before everything shut down. The Morris Museum is NOT crowded, strictly limiting people, and so, fully masked, I ventured forth! Jon Riis creates great tapestries - take a look:

The main room had 3 pieces dealing with Icarus.

It looks like the surface is entirely beaded, but actually it’s woven with metallic threads. The first piece (back at the start of the blog) has woven metallic threads AND beads.

Wish I’d copied the name of this one (below). Based on an ancient statue, Riis has added body hair (fine gold threads sticking up from the surface) and a tattoo, as nods to contemporary ideals of beauty. And look - a fibula!

(below) The green shading on this grasshopper is impressive.

(below) Unlike some others, this one is covered in beading - beautiful concentric circles of black pearls.

(below) It looks like the frogs are woven with metallic threads, and the black pearls are sewn…OVER the weaving?

(below) This is best one, for me. The desert camouflage on the outside (referencing war), the vintage-style sampler inside, and the dripping blood all combine to make such a strong statement.

(below) Another view, showing how the jacket front opens out. The green piece on the wall behind it shows a hundred dollar bill, with Benjamin Franklin’s eye shot out. Don’t know what the message is there.

(below) This one is NOT in the show - I found the image online, and wonder if it’s an earlier version of the other jacket.

(below and above) This Ancestor’s Pearl Coat also has swirling black pearls. Black and white faces on the outside, with a chimpanzee - our ancestor - inside.

(above) Several pieces on display in a large case, and I’m not sure this is the correct label.

(above) I don’t understand these two different peacock jackets. Riis is obviously an excellent colorist, so why has he created peacock coats with such drab colors? There’s a message here that I’m not getting.

(above) On his earlier works, Riis signs with a stylized R woven into the design. On later pieces, he attaches a metallic bit with the same stylized letter.

(above and below) The bunnies in this piece are woven with metallic threads, giving them that shimmery, beaded look that so many of his pieces have. But if you look closely, you can see the fine golden threads sticking up from the surface.

(below) On this one, tiny tubular beads stand up from the surface. As far as I know, that has to be done by hand. Did Riis do the sewing? Dunno. A sign says that he does all his own weaving, which I’m assuming is done on a computerized loom.

There are more pieces, including a giant Icarus tapestry in a back hallway. This site https://baristanet.com/2020/11/morris-museum-presents-the-tapestries-of-jon-eric-riis/ gives a good deal more information on the show, and about Riis and his work. (Having actually seen the show, I didn’t feel the need to read the entire piece……but you’re welcome to it:)

The Jacket Fibula Man is coming along nicely, and I’ve started creating new fibulae for the Jacket Fibula Quilt. Stay well. Stay safe.

Diane