Linda McLaughlin: Notes from Studio B: Upcycle

SAQA put out a call for a show called Upcycle, using repurposed items. The call went out last fall and the 31st of this month is the deadline for entries. I knew immediately what I wanted to use, but not how to use it. I saved 13 used Starbucks coffee filters that were in a bag of grounds that they give away for compost. These filters have been around my studio for a very long time just waiting for their opportunity become art.

The filters have been visible in the studio for several months now, I've come up with and rejected several ideas, and now finally 2 weeks before the deadline things started to come together. Unfortunately(or maybe fortunately) there are no photos of my original ideas, they were pretty underwhelming. I finally realized that I could meet the size requirements without putting them in a rectangular shape.

I've fused the filters in pairs with woven raffia in the middle as 'batting'. There were two types of raffia, the very top of the piece has a natural color with pieces of paper attached to it, the bottom section has the sample below.

The colored shapes on the piece are pages cut from a book on decorating with patterns. In the first picture the colored shapes are stitched down on the right side and the left side is still unstitched. the left over filter was used as a sample to work out stitch length, etc.

Once all the stitching is done, I'll need to find a way to attach the required sleeve and to get it photographed. The colored paper has a glossy finish which is making photos tricky. But I should have it done by the deadline!

It's Spring and my daffodils popped out right on time.