how looking at combinations led me to a lot of work! and a very long post.......



after helping CL-down-south tidy up, cleverly combining this with a visit to my parents and a long lunch with friend E, whom I've known since we were 8, I journeyed home with a humongous bag full of sample fabrics! dabbling with the colourful squares, Jude's lessons in the back of my mind as per usual, seeking out new 9patches, mixing and matching very different materials, I came to realise I would have to wash the new batch before being able to use them: shrinkage, coating, fraying etc had to be dealt with.....and once I started down that road I was in for it big time!
'cos now there was no excuse not to tackle the already present fabrics from Catharina, hanging mostly unused in my so-called Linen Library
First I had to cut away the plastic foil or paper edging along each individual piece that prevented fraying.....in some cases I also had to cut each piece off the backing














 above unwashed, below washed, dry and ironed
- the silk flowers are from Jude, goes without saying -





then there followed a series of multiple short wash cycles in the washing machine, matching colour as much as possible with same colour; then everything had to hang out to dry! but before that I had several laundry baskets full of moist, clean pieces  where I had to cut away the threads that had come loose and I made piles of oblongs and squares.....

if I'm honest there were moments where I despaired, such was the Herculean task I had set myself, or so it felt at the time.....




finally they were dry enough to iron, I ironed each and every one on both sides; some found a spot in the renamed ClothLibrary

others were laid out on the studio floor in piles according to pattern
so even more fondling and holding and getting to know the quality of the cloth





some I hadn't properly noticed before: birds, flowers, china vases jumped out at me

I am going to have to find workable storage space for my growing stash

leaving work bench as empty as possible!
looking forward to that 


the linen and linen/cotton all in one pile

Nest, nestle, nesting urge
nestle
/ˈnɛs(ə)l/
verb
  1. settle or lie comfortably within or against something.

    "the baby nestled in her arms"
    synoniemen:snuggle, cuddle (up), curl up, huddlenuzzlesettle, lie close, burrow;
    snug down
    "he nestled up against her"
    • (of a place) be situated in a half-hidden or sheltered position.

      "picturesque villages nestle in the wooded hills"


Comments

Nancy said…
Wow Saskia! Look at all these perfect lil squares and all the Color and Pattern! I am floored by your ability to take on such an undertaking. Look forward to seeing what you do or don't do next :) xo
Patty said…
What riches of fabric! Lucky you! No hard edges
Soft, raveling cloth love. Half the fun for me is
just handling them.
Dana said…
Wow! What a treasure! and how wonderful of you to persevere in preparing your sample pieces for use. Full steam ahead!
Saskia said…
well Mo, now that I have decided this is my core business (wow, that makes it sound really real) it felt like the right thing to do: take the materials I'm working with seriously and also, now everything I do relating to the fabrics IS working! it feels like time well spent....when I look at your work it strikes me you know a lot about being meticulous too;-) xx

as mentioned just above Nancy: this is my work now (smiling as I type this) yay and hurray, and so the time spent on doing all of this is part of my new life, the little squares are waiting impatiently on my desk.......xx

handling them is indeed such a joy Patty, I feel as if I'm truly getting to know each and every bit of cloth in my studio xx

perseverance is my middle name Dana, could say the same to you actually xx
Liz A said…
I'm late to the game ... Blogger won't let me comment from my phone so I have to wait until I have the laptop fired up (I'm beginning to think Blogger has it out for me)

But this, using bits of sample cloth ... reminds me that I, too, have samples about ... colors I would not ordinarily pick ... and I think of Ellsworth Kelly and his random squares of colored paper ... of Agnes Martin and her grids ... of Jude and her patches ... the chain of inspiration goes on and on ...

so here I will come to see what is next ... to get inspired all over again by your making ...
Saskia said…
Liz the sources of inspiration are manifold (english??) indeed....look forward to seeing how you use your samples xx
as said above, just the the touch of them is often enough...
i am waiting tho, you are at the edge of Big Doing...
Love Love
Saskia said…
on the Brink of Something Big Grace......
deemallon said…
better you than me! I am slowly giving away all my paper-glued fabric samples. I get tired just looking at them. Can't wait to see where your efforts lead you tho!
Saskia said…
I have given loads of stuff away Dee, that just kept me feeling guilty and bad about not using it....but these cloth samples were just too gorgeous not to want to keep and use myself!

tungsten

tungsten

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