Susie Vickery, the workshop leader, makes wonderful art, with all kinds of materials, often found things and 'litter' items, very sustainable. She does lots of community work and her approach to her work is very meaningful, I think.
That said, I really struggled with the materials and concept : use plastic to embroider a flower.
I cut up some green and white plastic bags, and used a sort of protective wrapping in green plastic and some broken white clothespins. I did not like the feel of the plastic; the smell bothered me too.
I kept putting this work away and returning to it. Adding some embroidery, dyeing some fabric scraps with tea to give them a more rugged look, replacing the flowers, adding more embroidery, sewing on some very worn textile scraps... After numerous sessions, I am reasonably happy with the result and I can let it be.
What I wanted to show was (hence the title), that you can try to make something beautiful out of plastic but it will never ever come close to the real thing. And we have to realise that the treasure lies in what we already have, we have had it for ever. But is that going to be the case for much longer?
Well, let's say, it's a conversation piece.
Knap werk
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