The last three photos are of my knotted rug installation at an exhibit called Gather and Transform at The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA
KNOTTED RUGS
After years of working with rag weaving I began to think about knotting the rags on the warp and creating a pile rug. Previously I had sewn a pile rug for a show called Bedroom Tableau at Functional Art, and so the seeds were there for a long time. In 2010 for my Rugs: Recycle and Re-imagine show at Craft in America, I began experimenting with this idea of knotted rag rugs.
Coincidentally, as I was finishing the first rug, I learned about the boucherouite rugs of Morocco. These rugs are made from recycled fabrics and other “post-industrial” materials, as a replacement when access to wool is restricted or not possible. My interest in how craft traditions are affected as the world changes is a big part of my ongoing work with textiles. I am always amazed at the connections between one’s own process and how that connects to the wider web of textile making.
