One of my fibre art goals this past year has been to create three dimensional work. I'm pleased to say I'm learning more with each piece I make, but this one I'm most pleased with to date. I've been experimenting with various materials that could provide a solid and sturdy structure for 3D work, including layering techniques, foam, wire, metal, cardboard, and other lightweight items. Most recently I tried buckram, used in wearables such as hats and costumes and for items such as bags and totes.
My plan was to make a wasp nest from a variety of recycled fabrics: lace, linen, old sheers, cottons, on a base of buckram, and in shades of beiges and greys. I tore long strips of each, machine stitched the strips together down the middle and on both sides, then cut through to show the layers below. I then handstitched the strips together while forming them into a circular shape, tacking some layers back to show the textures and colours below even more. The buckram gave the structure the strength and flexibility needed so I could form it into the typical spherical shape of wasp nests.
Since real wasp nests look papery and are made from a wood pulp (the wasps chew wood into a pulp then stick it together with saliva), I added a few small pieces of birch bark as an embellishment.
As I pondered how best to display my fibre art wasp nest, the idea to hang it from a branch seemed perfect. I checked out TextileArtist.org to review their article on hanging and displaying textile art, and first tried attaching invisible hanging wire to the branch. But after finding the wire difficult to work with, I instead used a cord that was in my stash that has a similar organic look to fabrics used for the nest. And as the nest is very lightweight, it worked perfectly.
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