Author: efu@andrew.cmu.edu

Mending – Erica Fu

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I continued on with my mending of the pocket, mending the sides of the pocket to reinforce the structure. Since I originally undid and resewed the pocket on my sewing machine when experimenting, the pocket was extremely loose and was starting to rip. I used the same blue and yellow threads to create a pattern of similar direction and purpose, but different shape. I think that created a very interesting effect as it added direction and movement to the cloth and the originally very static and boxy shape of the jacket.

However, I do wish that I planned more before weaving. Originally my goal was to just reinforce the pocket so I did plan to extend the blue and yellow threads onto the side of the jacket as well. Because of this, the weaving is quite low on the shoulder, reaching near the armpit and creasing which covers up a lot of my work. Next time, I will be sure to think about how this 2d fabric would translate when put on a 3d shape.

Overall, this was extremely fun and rewarding and I now love how the colors made the jacket look a little more retro with pops of color which reflects my current style more.

Mending in Progress – Erica Fu

This is a piece of clothing I used to try out using a sewing machine during quarantine. On the pocket, I originally had a navy design that I attempted to make with the sewing machine, but I thought I was not satisfied with that design and thought it would be interesting to add some pops of color instead, continuing on with my introduction of altering clothes with this one jacket.

I decided to go for a primary palette to match with the burgundy cloth. I think I will continue experimenting by adding more threads along different areas of the clothing that are not as complete or satisfactory to me due to my lack of sewing experience and turn those little flaws into places of interest.

Improvisational Weaving – Erica Fu

Since I am at home still, I was inspired to create something that reflected each of my family members. I noticed that the chairs naturally have a loom shape and dinner is a time when my family comes together to one table. I created unique weavings for each of the members at where each person sits and put them in a cohesive space.

On the top left, I created a weaving for my mother, using softer, knitted materials and a warm color palette to create a heart shape and show her kind and caring personality.

On the top right, I reflected my mix of styles by using a lot of textures (denim, cotton, wires) to display my usual denim uniform, information systems shirt and love for music.

On the bottom left, I created a weaving for my father with a mix of polos, formal shirts, and sweatshirts. The sweatshirt wraps around the formal clothes, demonstrating how my father’s professional side is encapsulated by his casual personality at home.

On the bottom right, I reflected my brother’s love for toys, sports, and youthful personality with LEGOs, a sports jersey, colorful items, and cotton clothing.

Tapestry Weaving Assignment – Erica Fu

I weaved a landscape of a flowery hill on a summer day. I discovered that there is a lot of potential in using a unique item to hold up the weaving so that it continues a certain theme or idea the artist wants to convey. Using the stick for me continued the natural aesthetic of my weaving and meshed well with the natural chaos of the weaving ends. I really enjoyed creating the piece and like the overall shape of everything, even the backside of it. However, I wish the form of the top and bottom edge were more consistent with my intentions. I tried to adjust the top side of the weaving so it was more wavy like the hill, but that shape did not translate well after I ended the warp. Overall, this was really fun and I enjoyed experimenting with textures.

Testing, Tinkering, Toying – Erica Fu

In these three test weaves, I tried to first create something more standard to get used to the process of weaving, then something that was a little more experimental and less neat, and finally one that was 3D.

For the first weave, I tries to simply experiment with colors and textures to create something familiar to me. The tray is something I usually use for watercolor, a medium I have been using for over 5 years. The reddish pink fabric is from one of my old blankets, and the butterfly denim is the first fabric I bought for when I tried to sew in middle school. I think that the colors of the two fabrics complement each other very well and the roughness of the denim in contrast to the softness of the sheets, while harder to work with, created some nice juxtaposition.

My next work was based on the choose something of your favorite color for the scavenger hunt. Since I chose blue, I wanted to create something loosely based on a shoreline, incorporating more blue, white, and tan within the weave. The markers were hard to work with and I should have reinforced them with something stronger instead of simply tying them all together, but I really enjoyed the unpredictability of the threads that created a unique sense of movement.

This last piece was completely based on my unusual loom. I thought it would be very fun to create a 3D basket-like weave, so I used the head-scratcher tool and wrapped string. My favorite aspect of this is how I can flip the loom and the piece becomes completely changed: it goes from a cotton candy like object to a shelter for a little toy.

Items gathered from scavenger hunt.