I’m working on more stuffed puffs, black this time in black, for another tabletop soft sculpture piece for my upcoming January exhibition. Early this year I found an interesting new fabric in a polyester with pewter metallic finish, played around with it and next day returned to buy more and some of the gold it also comes in. It’s great for appliqued shapes, and a little goes a long way. I found some Gutermann thread on a 500m cone that exactly matches it, and here’s how I’m using it at the moment. I think slightly curved lines will look lovely once all the embellished puffs are assembled together.
To say spiders cause me discomfort is a massive understatement, and I have been known to totally lose it in the presence of large creepy hairy ones. I know, spiders are our friends, but they can go and be friends in someone else’s house and garden, as far as I’m concerned. Even out in the garden, some of them are a worry to me, as from now on (October) through to late April they spin large webs at the end of the day to trap insects flying through the night. Of course, I’m happy for them to do that, BUT when I walk into one of their webs, well, it’s not a pretty sight. Last year there was one living somewhere outside the window beside my computer, and he wisely set his web between some hanging plants out there. It’s a great spot, close to one of the lights on the patio. I watched a couple of times when it was about to rain, he rolled up his web and parked himself on the underside of one of the beams across the patio where it joined onto the house – mission completed just seconds before it began raining. They’re so clever to be able to read the changing conditions. However, it’s our patio, our outdoor living area for much of the year, and when necessary I wield a broom before sitting down out there.
As I reviewed this first embroidered puff, I knew it reminded me of a spider pic I’d seen somewhere a few years ago, and at last this morning, after a search through my photos and my IG posts, I found the image that was on my mind.
It’s a Peruvian Nose Ornament With Spiders in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, presumed Salinar culture and estimated age 200 BCE-300CE. I noticed at the bottom of the page it’s available for any use including commercial, so here we are. If you’re interested in archaeology as I am, go to the link.