Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word: Dimensional Letters and Other Projects

 

Jill B.: "How" : Wool felt letters and cheesecloth collage

This is the last in a series of blog posts about the Fall class, Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word that I taught online for The Art League School. I will be teaching it again during the Winter session starting on January 27 for five consecutive Wednesday mornings (10:00 am-12:30 pm USA Eastern Standard Time).

In the fourth session, I covered a number of dimensional techniques including Cording, Stuffing/Trapunto and Felt letters. I also suggested that students begin to think about a larger, more long term assignment that would involve stitching a letter (correspondence), recipe, list, poem or memento and to think about alternative ground fabrics such as vintage linens or clothing. I hope to see more results as students continue to work on projects.

Jill B.: "How/Who?": Off the Surface Trapunto

Jill B.: Cording and Trapunto samplers

Roberta A.: Planning a larger project: The Grocery List

Judy P.: A series of Haikus for her youngest granddaughter, Anne. Stitched on a dish towel

Judy P.: Brainstorming ideas for more projects.

Judy P.: Grandmother's Frozen Dough recipe transferred to tea-dyed fabric.

Judy P.: Thinking about stitching the recipe to an old apron.

Barbara B.: List of cooking times for dry rice and beans

Barbara B.: Stitching the list to Jed's shirt sleeve.

Barbara B.: Optional project: One month stitching journal.

Julie B. Booth: Felt and couched yarn letters with cheesecloth fabric collage. Honoring the Swedish Fish candies my maternal grandmother kept in her candy drawer.

Julie B. Booth: Stitched letter written by my Dad when he was just learning his capital letters. I included the erasures (white Running stitched letters). Stitched on a cotton handkerchief, the kind he used to carry in his pocket.

Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word: Mapping Memories

 

Carolyn L.: Memories of her grandparent's farm

The third session of Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word, focused on creating Memory (mind) Maps around a memory connecting to place. This was interpreted in many different ways...from memories of a "touchstone" place such as a family farm or the ocean (Atlantic and Pacific) to a more recent memory of "the debate stage".  

Carolyn L.: Mind Map about her grandparent's farm. Focus on color.

I demoed a number of different applique and reverse applique techniques and was excited to see how the students incorporated a number of these techniques in their pieces.

Here are some of Jill B.'s applique samplers...

Again...I just love how the challenges mined precious gems of memories and the stitched results. 

Bobbie D.: What is Home? Twenty-nine in 5 different states and 3 different countries!

Sue W.: Love of Cape Cod (same with me!) and her new granddaughter whose initials are SEA and whose middle name means "star".

Vicki F-L.: The calmness and inspiration of the Pacific Ocean

Debra L.: "Pool". Summers there and swim team.

Rebecca S.: The sound of the winter wind at night. 

Jill B.: Her father's giant garden and her more modest one.

Jill B.: The elements needed to grow the garden.

Roberta A.: On Safari in Botswana.

Roberta A.: Following the tracks to find the animals.

Judy P.: Jazz band camp...an extended family affair.

Judy P.: Jazz and Summertime

Barbara B.: Three pieces to represent the three debates (Shut Up Man!, Throwing Shade, So Cute). These were eventually sewn together into a final piece called "Leading Voices" (and yes, the fly made an appearance) that will be part of the Tiny Pricks Project.

I will be teaching this class again in the Winter session at The Art League School. Click here for more information and to register.

Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word: Family Mottos

 

Judy P.: Uff Da!

In the second session of Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word, the class focused on filling stitches, and the option to try "negative space" letters. Students were asked to come up with a Family Motto or Saying.

Judy P.: Doreen's Doritos. A continuation of the "orange food" series.

Judy P.: Continuation of the "orange food" series.

Parental words of wisdom...

Roberta A.: Her father's response to "Why".

Rebecca S.: Her stoic father...

Carolyn L.: Self explanatory!

Barbara B.: Mother's advice: Anything your Set Your Mind To.

Jill B.: Journal Exercise

Jill B.: Ca va' : Her Canadian father's favorite saying.

Bobbie D.: "Jane & Bobing"--her parents.

Debra L.: Family fun and Odyssey of the Mind.

Vicki F-L: One Day at a Time!

Sue W.: The neighborhood where she grew up.

I will be teaching this class online again during the Winter session at The Art League School. Go here for more information.

Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word: Color Cues

Climb Mountains by Roberta A. Inspired by a pop-up book story written by her daughter when she was seven.

This Fall, I had the opportunity to teach two multi-session classes at The Art League School including an updated and expanded version of Connecting to Memories: The Stitched Word. I'm excited to share the inspiring work of students from that class in the next few posts. 

FYI: I will be teaching this class again during the Winter 2021 term. For more information and to register go here.

 I originally taught this as a three session in-person class a couple of years ago. I could see even then the potential of even a few words to express rich memories and family stories.  

This expanded version of the class gave me the opportunity to design a series of new memory challenges using words while at the same time sharing a selection of stitching, applique and dimensional techniques. Students were also given a weekly Journal Exercise as a prompt for their weekly challenge piece.

Roberta A.: Color Cues Journal Exercise

This first assignment focused on using color as a memory cue.

Judy P: Memories of her mother's love of the color orange.

Judy P.

Judy P.: The Big Orange Umbrella on the beach at Cape May to signal the family.

Sue W.: Memories of growing up in CA and worries about ongoing wildfires. 

Debra L.: Memories of falling in love in Hawaii.

Debra L. : Pele's Passion

                                    

Family memories...

Bobbie D.: A skirt of my own from Grammy.

Rebecca S.: Bonding with her mother over the moon.

Zeyneb A.: Blueberry picking

Jill B.: Journal page.

Jill B.: My first Granny Smith apple.

Carolyn L.: The eagle next door.

Vicki F-L: Patches of Memories

Vicki F-L: The Red Boot

Barbara B.: Jamming with The Talking Heads.