Why I Never Throw Away Tiny Scraps of Fabric
What do worn-out shoes, tiny scraps of fabric, and a sculpted rose have in common? More than you might think. This is the story of seeing possibilities where others see waste.
CREATIVITYINSPIRATIONARTIST JOURNEY
I hate throwing things away.
Not because I'm a pack rat. (Although my studio might suggest otherwise.) It's because I can't help wondering if something that's outlived its original purpose still has another story left to tell.
Years ago I owned a pair of beautiful gold leather pumps. They were comfortable, elegant, and fit perfectly. Better yet, I'd found them on sale.
After several years, however, the gold finish began to flake off. Structurally the shoes were still in great shape. They just looked terrible. However, I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. So they sat in my closet for years.
Then one day I bought a new red dress for an art opening. I searched everywhere for shoes and couldn't find anything I liked. Then I remembered the gold pumps.
I looked at them and thought, "What if...?"
Since I was going to an art opening, subtle wasn't really necessary.
The answer?
Rhinestones.
Lots and lots of rhinestones.
This rose began with nothing more than tiny scraps that many people would have thrown away. Layer by layer, stitch by stitch, those discarded bits became a new one-of-a-kind textile. A little shaping with wire transformed flat fabric into sculptural petals, and eventually into a red rose.
Sometimes the most beautiful part of creating art is discovering that nothing has truly reached the end of its story. It may simply be waiting for the beginning of a new one.
Armed with glue, tweezers, and far more patience than common sense, I covered those tired old shoes one rhinestone at a time. The transformation was worth every minute.
The shoes didn't just look new. They had become something entirely different.
That's always been part of the way I look at the world. Whether it's an old pair of shoes, tiny scraps of fabric, snippets of thread, or short lengths of yarn, I rarely see them as waste.
I see possibilities.
I find myself wondering what they might become.
That way of thinking naturally finds its way into my artwork.
One of the ways those possibilities find their way into my artwork is through a technique I call Constructed Textiles.
