Ribbons and Shirtsleeves
Ribbons and Shirtsleeves, installation view
The dark wood of the weaving shed surrounds me and as I fall into the rhythm of my feet pressing peddles, my arms throwing then receiving, the ribbons of cloth unspool to then be captured within a taut matrix of warps. The image is built line by line, weft by weft, giving way to a feeling of floating timelessness. The past rushes up to meet me while the future feels like it is just a short reach away. I look through the rippled glass of the window and meet the gaze of a deer. Her long eyelashes flutter, reminding me that I am here, now.
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Ribbons and Shirtsleeves embodies the focused exploration artist Allyce Wood undertook during her residency at the Mary Olson Farm in the summer of 2023. For two months, Wood engaged with the artifacts, historical records, and environment of the farm through rag-rug weaving.
Allyce Wood examines the connections shared between weaver and machine, and the fluid possibilities of coding. Using the same methods utilized by Mary Olson and her daughter Anna, she explored the potential of the farm’s Union Loom and its plain weave functionality. Materials like thrifted crochet yarn, hand-dyed tablecloths, and old workshirts cut into strips were carefully composed in each tapestry. Her inlay techniques and reworked thread patterns enhanced the over-under-over-under binary weave. This process allowed for recognizable motifs to emerge: window panes, screendoors, lacework, and the worn wooden boards of Mary Olson Farm were reinterpreted to carry a distinctive sense of timelessness and place.
The Olson’s carpets live as archives of their maker’s labor, giving us an insight into how the family contributed to their income and expression. Allyce Wood’s weavings continue in the tradition of women responsible for their own livelihoods, reliant on ingenuity and resourcefulness.
For more information, please follow this link to the White River Valley Museum. The exhibition is open from September 20 - December 30, 2023.
all photos are credited to the artist and Pete Fleming
Slant View Diptych, hand-dyed reclaimed cotton and linen weft with hand-dyed cotton warp, 53 x 37”, 2023
In the field by the creek at Mary Olson Farm, I measured pigments, salt, and vinegar to create a range of colors to paint on long cotton threads and sheets of reclaimed linen. These dyes pooled and set, and when I brought the materials to the loom, this piece flowed. It was the last tapestry I made after two months of observing, sketching, and working with the loom.
From left to right:
Historic rug by Mary or Anna Olson
Kitchen Plant, hand-dyed linen weft and shirt-ribbon inlay with mixed fiber warp, 25.5 x 41”, 2023
Workshirt Variation, various fibers for warp and weft, 25.25 x 74”, 2023
Meadow View
hand-dyed cotton weft, cotton warp, 27 x 67”, 2023
This tapestry is a recreation of the window within the weaving shed. Sitting at the loom, I would often gaze out of its historic glass panes. I would watch the deer go by, the grass slowly drying in the summer’s heat, this slow world so different to the urban view from my studio. This view was one I know I shared with Mary Olson and then her daughter; this was a perspective that linked us.
Left: Clover (to have and to bring), reclaimed and bleached denim weft with various fiber warp and cotton ribbon embroidery, 29 x 44”, 2023
In the days before arriving at Mary Olson Farm, I found six four-leaf clovers. With an abundance of denim and good luck at my disposal, I began to weave. During the creation of this piece, I thought about the concepts of privilege and fortune, support and ambitions, and the exquisite mixture of those things required to be able to create.
Right: Historic rug by Mary or Anna Olson
Left: Caterpillar Motif, reclaimed cotton and cotton-blend fiber and wool with a mixed cotton warp, 22.25 x 66”, 2023
This tapestry is woven from a variety of fibers. I used cotton yarn that was gifted to me by a fellow member of the Seattle Weaver’s Guild as well as strips of clothing from friends. The green-gold wool used to make up the central image was inherited from weaver Mildred Sherwood. Together, these fibers speak to one gesture of kindness following another.
Right: Four Strand, reclaimed various fibers with cotton duck inlay, 27 x 74”, 2023
Icons and symbols related to weaving reoccur in my work. Four Strand depicts long pieces of cord, loose and flowing, tied at the top as if they are being prepared for braiding.
From left to right:
Historic rug by Mary or Anna Olson
Portal, hand-dyed reclaimed cotton, cotton duck, and vintage nylon cordage with a mixed cotton warp, 26 x 64”, 2023
When working in Mary Olson’s weaving shed, I became enamored with architectural details like the screendoor. This portal into the house became more than a typical threshold, but a frame or mirror showing my place within the farm and its timeline.
Flickering Still overdyed reclaimed cotton weft with linen warp, 14 x 16”, 2023
Flickering Still overdyed cotton weft with linen warp, 14 x 16”, 2023
Inspired by a lace curtain in the Olson’s home, this piece balances domestic textile details with watery abstraction.