Elizabeth Tuttle's Fulled Wool Compositions

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In the early 2000’s the fashion fad for winter was pure wool sweaters in a myriad of wonderful colors.  When the purchasers accidently fulled (shrank) their sweaters in the washing machine, the results—diminished not in color but in size—ended up on the racks of Saver’s, St Vincent’s and Goodwill.  I collected as many colors as I could, painstakingly picking out the seams, and washing and drying the pieces.  Then I tried to figure out what to do with them.   One of my early inspirations came from 19th century penny rugs, characterized by felt circles appliqued onto a background.  The result was the pieces in the exhibition with circles and squares blanket-stitched onto plaid backgrounds.



I also visualized compositions where colored shapes interlocked without a background, but did not know how to put the pieces together.  Machine stitching did not please meaesthetically.  I settled on cutting the pieces of fulled wool so the edges abutted each other, and hand-stitching them together with crewel wool.  Many of these pieces were inspired by basic quilt patterns such as fence rail, taken a step further with appliqued circles and squares (numbers 17 through 21).  Numbers 11 and 15 are based on the geometric figure pentomino.  This is plane geometric  figure made up of five equal squares joined edge to edge.  In number 15  each of the colors used is unique, totaling nearly 100 distinct sweater shades
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My earlier work in fiber arts also depended on a large collection of colors.  I crocheted two-dimensional architectural images using bunches of colors—usually 10 at atime—varying the colors to create subtle gradations.  Another experience in fiber arts was as assistant director of the UW Design Gallery where I worked with the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection to install exhibitions of historical and ethnographic textiles.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Tuttle
May 20, 2014



Ruth Knight Sybers
Knitter's Treat
Monticello, WI 53570

www.209main.com - Textiles - current and past exhibits at The Dining Room at 209 Main

knitterstreat@wekz.net - to join e-mail list for announcements of new exhibits at The Dining Room at 209 Main

knitterstreat@wekz.net - to order patterns, books, Vivian Hoxbro kits, yarn, etc. 
 

As always, a heartfelt thank you to Rhoda Braunschweig who plans and 
David Braunschweig who assists in "hanging" each exhibit.

Photos by Lori Manning
Copyright © 2014.
Web Designs by Lori

The Dining Room at 209 Main

Past Displays:

Valentina Devine
RAE ERDAHL'S COLLECTION OF ETHNIC HATS, DOLLS, AND GARMENTS
WEAVINGS BY TUESDAY FRIENDS: FRAN POTTER AND HER STUDENTS
CHALLENGE QUILT
Ethnic Socks - Rae Erdahl
Why I Quilt - Barbara Hartman
Kelly Marshall - Custom HandWovens - Functional art pieces
Knitting Designs by Meg Swansen
Mary Alice Hart - digital photos become quilts
Mary Ann Fitzgerald:  Chinese Baby Carriers
VALENTINA DEVINE DESIGNS PRESENTED AGAIN
Jane M. Miller - East Side Bags
Looping - featuring Donna Kallner and Sue Koleczek
TEN YEARS OF KNITTING WORKSHOPS IN MONTICELLO, WI
Green County Barn Quilts and the Courthaus Quilt Guild
RareWear - Fiber Artist Laurie Boyer
Mary Kay McDermott
The Story of the Textiles from Guatemala
NANCY L. DAVIS & JOANNE SCHILLING - TEXTILE ARTISTS
MARY JO SCANDIN - Fiber and contemporary painting
FULLING AND FELTING
Nostalgia - Apron Collection by Jean Adler
TEN YEARS OF TEXTILE EXHIBITS - Ruth Knight Sybers
SILVER THREADS -- Lee Ann Kleeman
Point of View: thread-work by Beth Blahut
Latvian Textiles
HANDKERCHIEFS
Hooked Rugs by Ellie Beck
ELIZABETH ZIMMERMANN
JOYCE MARQUESS CAREY
AESOP'S FABLES
First Knitting Invitational
Weaving and the Structo Loom
Valentina Devine Creates
JAPANESE TEXTILES -- OLD  AND NEW
Wearable Art
Moving Weft
Men Who Knit
Quilts by the Thursday Friends
WEAVING WITH SEWING THREAD
HISTORIC MONTICELLO WOOLEN MILL
Katherine Pence Inspired by Everything
WHY DO I SPIN?
THE EARLY KNITTED WORKS OF JOYCE WILLIAMS
EMBROIDERY - the late Ellen Scheidler
QUILTS OF MONTICELLO
23 HATS BY ESTHER AND OLGA
FROM GRANDMA'S TRUNK
JEAN NORDLUND - Ewe Hues
NAVAJO RUGS Weavings - Fran Potter
KNITTED LACE
SOCKS
FIRST SHOW: Knitting - Ruth Sybers, Wall hanging - Kathy LaBeil