Shirtwaste: Fabric Sculpture

Shirtwaste: Fabric Sculpture is a 22 X 28 wall hanging made from recycled material. It has been accepted into the "Re-Tread Threads" exhibit at the Textile Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 29 to May 28, 2011. http://www.textilecentermn.org/  This is a national competition of recycled art. This is the first time I have attempted to jury into a national show and was hopeful, but not confident that I would make the cut. The acceptance has given me more confidence in my work, and lets me know that I have reached a more professional level in my craft. It was my attempt to use leftover fabric from various projects, by cutting it into strips and using water soluble stabilizer to hold it together. A shirt front was constructed, and then mounted onto a recycled torso manikin from an old swim suit. Recycled pieces of polyester and cotton batting pad the manikin. The biggest challenge was to solve the problems involved in hanging. For that, I consulted other artists and the preparer at our local art museum. It took me almost a year to complete this project and come up with a good presentation. Well worth all the effort.