What's Up With Cotton?

American Quilt Retailer magazine contacted 30 fabric companies for explanations related to the current and upcoming prices of cotton fabrics. Top executives of 11 of these companies responded: Avlyn, Inc.; Clothworks; E. E. Schenck; Hoffman California Fabrics; In the Beginning Fabrics; Marcus Fabrics; Michael Miller Fabrics; Moda Fabrics; Northcott; Robert Kaufman Fabrics; and Westminster Lifestyle Fabrics.

Their responses:
http://www.americanquiltretailer.com/cotton/

Fine Cell Work

Fine Cell Work is an organization devoted to teaching needlework to UK prison inmates as well as to sell their products. Twenty-six prisons are involved with male inmates comprising 80% of the project participants. Each devotes approximately 20 hours a week to the project doing the emboridery in their cells.

Abstract Painting Design - Fine Cell Work

Detail - Abstract Painting Design - Fine Cell Work

Fine Cell Work website
http://www.finecellwork.co.uk/home/

Video - 16 minutes
http://www.finecellwork.co.uk/audiovideo/

The Intergalactic Quilts of Jimmy McBride

Jimmy McBride is fascinated by astronomy and focuses his artwork

on various aspects of it. He states that his work is machine quilted

with hand embroidery, but I think he means that it is machine pieced,

 hand quilted and hand embroidered.

M64 - Jimmy McBride

Whether the focus is on galaxies, planets, nebulae, wormholes, etc., Jimmy likes to incorporate as many elements as possible into the work.

Phobos V2 - Jimmy McBride

Detail: Phobos V2 - Jimmy McBride

Jimmy's website:
http://jimmymcbride.com/home.html

Blog - this contains a lot of information not only about how his work is conceptualized, but he also shares some of the mechanics of how the patterns are drafted and put together.
http://www.intergalactictransport.blogspot.com/

Ethereal Artwork by Gabriel Dawe

Gabriel Dawe creates fascinating and mesmerizing installations
and other artwork primarily using only Gutterman threads,
nails and wood.



Plexus No. 4 - Gabriel Dawe

 Plexus no 2 - Gabriel Dawe

"Gabriel Dawe was born in Mexico City where he grew up surrounded by the intensity and color of Mexican culture. After working as a graphic designer, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 2000 following a desire to explore foreign land. In search for creative freedom he started experimenting and creating artwork, which eventually led him to explore textiles and embroidery—activities traditionally associated with women and which were forbidden for a boy growing up in Mexico. Because of this, his work is subversive of notions of masculinity and machismo that are so ingrained in his culture. By working with thread and textiles, Dawe’s work has evolved into creating large-scale installations with thread, creating environments that deal with notions of social constructions and their relation to evolutionary theory and the self-organizing force of nature." http://sweet-station.com/blog/2010/11/gabriel-dawe/

Gabriel Dawe's Website

http://gabrieldawe.com

Gabriel Dawe

http://www.booooooom.com/2010/12/02/thread-artworks-by-artist-gabriel-dawe/