Growing Cotton: From the Garden to My Creative Projects

 

Have you ever looked around your garden and wondered what you could bring into your creative practice?

In this episode of Material Musings, I’m sharing my homegrown Barbadian Sea Island cotton, and some of the other natural fibers I’ve been exploring, and the ways these materials find their way into my artwork.

I grow cotton on a very small scale - a couple of plants, but even these produce more than I can process! There is something so rewarding about watching a plant grow, and eventually holding a piece of yarn that I’ve spun myself.

I also share some of my sculptural looms, made using wood I’ve grown and harvested. The wooden frame stays as part of the finished artwork, alongside woven threads, beads, recycled elements, and small amounts of my cotton.

You don’t need much of a special fibre to make an impact. Sometimes a small section woven among other yarns gives a piece its character.

Looking at the garden differently

Cotton is just one of the materials that I have made use of from the garden.  There are other fibers that can be used, the pieces of wood can become mark-making tools, and dried plant materials offer possibilities for weaving.

I share some of the marks made with my homemade brushes in the video. A simple mark might not seem like much at first, but add layers, color, and other textures, and it becomes the beginning of something interesting.

It makes me ask: what is already around me that I could explore a little further?

Start with what you have

You don’t need to grow cotton to explore these ideas. Some leftover yarn, scraps of fabric, or a piece of cardboard can be enough to begin a small weaving. Those little experiments can become additions to journals, stitched pieces, or other mixed media projects.

Watch the video for a closer look at the cotton, my spinning tools, sculptural looms, and the other fibers I’ve been exploring.

Watch the Material Musings video here 

Then come over to Patreon, where I’m sharing four creative ideas from this episode for you to try, from a small weaving to making your own mark-making brush.

Explore the ideas on Patreon 

What material in your garden or creative stash could you look at with fresh eyes?

Art Journal Play - When you are Enough

 

Join us in looking at today's art journal pages and looking at ways to provide a safe space to express your thoughts and feelings.

It can be a page full of text, one word or just an image that will convey what might be going on inside your mind.

What ways do you use your art journal pages?.  I think that I move between a more haphazard style jumping from different journals and I like to use certain art journals for specific things.  in each I aways leave space to return, to play and leave a mark. 

Are you in a space where you can come and go in your art journal or would you like to create more spaces that enable you to do so and express how you feel?  In this video I explore several ways that we can provide ourselves with spaces that are nurturing and enables us to play as we create. 

Before You Go

Have you accessed your FREE digital art download yet, it is available until the end of October on Patreon to use in your art journals or creative projects.   You can get your digital download HERE

You can check out some of the other papers available on different Tiers while you are there.

More Fabric Inspiration Activities - Material Musings

In yesterday’s Material Musings post, - You can check it out here

 

I shared some of the fabric and textile art projects that I have been spending time doing in the studio. Sometimes you have to take a pause and take a look around.  I wanted to get an overall look to see which of the projects were calling the loudest - (there are more things sitting in bins crying out for attention) but we will try and focus on a few smaller projects first. 

As I look at them there are many that I felt drawn to pick up again, I thought of the enjoyment that I got from making them, and identified some that I was willing to let go of - if only for a season, and then see where they want to take me over time.

Check out the Activities

I thought it would be useful to share 4 small activities that could get you thinking about how you can move some of your projects forward.  They are small actions that you can apply to the fabric projects that you have, spend time seeing how it feels and if you are inspired to work on those pieces that need your sparkle!

Join us For FREE on Patreon to access

You can Join us on my Free Tier on Patreon to check out the suggestions that I share to help you take your textile projects further - you won't have to go out and purchase any new supplies - just use what you have, experiment and play a while!

Rediscovering the Possibilities in Your Projects - Material Musings

 

Welcome to this week’s Material Musings!  

I am spending time looking through a few of my fabric projects, unfinished pieces to see if I can find fresh inspiration with some of the materials or if I can develop them or take them in a new direction. 

In the video, I share slow-stitched samples, handmade pouches, fabric and card birds - I have been doing the Fodder Challenge 6 and will be sharing more of the projects that I have made over the next couple of weeks.  You can see some of the project so far on my Instagram HERE.

  

I also played around with some felt embellishments bringing out my felting supplies, it is so good to be surrounded by so much color.  I also have my unfinished kawandi project that I am working on.  I also share some textile artworks returning from an exhibition, some of the pieces feature cotton that I have grown in my garden, spun and woven - so much fun.

We finish with a selection of trinket tags, combining fabric scraps, beads and broken jewelry. These little creations can decorate journals, become ornaments or add a personal touch to a gift.

One of the things I’m reminded of is that a project can change direction. A stitched piece can become a pouch, smaller pieces could join together as a wall hanging, and some mark-making might provide the finishing touches when you no longer feel like stitching.

Take out one unfinished piece this week and ask: What would make me excited to work on this again?

Before You Go

I have a course coming up called Stitching Joy from Your Fabric Scraps, which you can check out, it is currently on preorder at the early bird price of $67

Learn more information HERE