Experimenting with various ways to hang my cloth pieces. Some need to be leaving me–however that might happen. And even though I’m happy tacking these pieces to the walls here and there, pinning them to curtains, draping them over furniture–if and when they leave me, I think they need to be ready to be “hung” in what we might consider a normal manner. My resistance to taking a piece this far–from start to “hung ready” is enormous. Something about the process feels like it limits the cloth, puts boundaries on it, creates limitations by the definition of “finished.” But still, I have to move some pieces — out.
I’ve experimented with different ways to hang cloth–as in cloth sleeve on the back with dowel inserted for hanging. I’ve scraped bark off of thin branches and tied the cloth to the wood. Now I’m playing with rebar wire and clothes pins. Clothes pins maybe, for some pieces, but not these. Here are two simply hung with rebar wire. The top of each piece has been overlapped, forming a sleeve. Rebar wire threaded through. The ends bent into mini spirals.
Primordial Soup is an eco-dyed piece mounted on two different linen liners. Measures 14 x 20.
Harbinger of Spring is made from re-purposed cloths, mounted on black walnut dyed cotton, measures 12 x 18.
Feedback welcomed and encouraged.
following thread 
I really like the wire—plus the shapes at the end could vary in design too—not sure the plastic push pins work—maybe a little nail or tack that relates in color and scale to the wire. But definitely looking good! xxoo
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you’re so right. the push pins would not be part of the final hanging. i thought little headless brads, but see, i can’t get that far. i just can’t seem to finish. argghghhh
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Hi Patricia, I’m a friend of grace of windthread. Your cloths are beautiful, especially Primordial Soup. it just draws me in…the soft muted colors, the birds in flight, all serve to bring forth the bounty of the land. As someone who gathers windfall from the fields and lets the offerings color my cloth, I’m always drawn to naturally dyed cloths. I’ve made about 20 wall hangings and each one has been affixed to crab apple branches by cloth tabs that are also dyed by windfall. I stitch the tabs to the top left and right of the cloth, sometimes if it is a larger piece, I’ll put one in the middle of the cloth. I don’t strip the branches because I like the bark covering and the different thickness and shapes of the branches. Some are straight, some curved.To me, using branches extends the organic feel of naturally dyed cloths.
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hi Marti. yes, i recognize you. always read your comments with great interest and appreciation. your suggestions for hanging are so right on. the continuation of the organic feel of the windfall dyed fabric. i may revisit Primordial Soup with a branch. sooooooooooo pleased that you commented. thanks.
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oh it’s done, Primordial Soup I mean: I just love this piece and I like the wire-hanging-up construct; also in Harbinger of Spring I just noticed the spirals in the wire and in the piece itself: nicely echoed
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hi Saskia. I love your input, always. yes, Primordial Soup is finished–and i have the feeling that i’ll never again reach this level of satisfaction with a piece. i’m rethinking the hanging but haven’t changed it–and like you, i so enjoy the echo of the spiral in Harbinger. see you!
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Primoridial Soup is finished!! Hooray!
now for the crit bit… agree with Marti about using a found branch, that would be great and if it was mine I would distress the backing cloth to a much more ragged & tattered edge…
& talking about the beauty of the ragged edge, Christina Cairns said it so well a few years back-
http://amermaidintheattic.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/beauty-of-ragged-edge-limitless.html
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hi Mo. thanks so much for referring me to Christina’s blog. loved reading. her thoughts on unfinished/raw edges. it was an eye opener for me–an aha moment. the idea that raw is alive. now as far as distressing the backing cloth of this one–well just how would i got about doing that? do you have suggestions on this. and i want to thank you for taking the time to critique this piece. it’s my favorite so far of anything i’ve made–and i don’t want to stifle it’s life.
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I just use scratch up the edge with a big old blunt needle, my fingernails, a bookbinder’s bone folder and drag the threads out from about 1/2 an inch in from the edge at say half to quarter inch intervals you can see what I man on the bottom edge of the nightdress I made earlier in the year here – j(ust scroll down)
http://itscrowtime.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/jude-the-queen-of-cloth-conjurors/
you have to be a bit rough to the cloth so try it on a scrap first, it’s fun after doing really fine stitching to go all loose and wild!
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excuse the typos!
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I love Primordial Soup
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hi Sumitra. so glad you stopped by–and thanks for the feedback!
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I love the rebar hangers on both pieces, and the lovely work itself…
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hi Suzanna–i’ve been to you blog before–love it, just didn’t know it was YOU. thanks so much for visiting me here. the wire has mixed reviews — i think it will just depend upon the piece. today while walking the dog, i found some really nice maple branches that just begged to come home with me. so we shall see. love
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