FROM AMANDA R.

Received from Amanda in Canada, June 2012.

I feel so lucky as I have received a second letter from Amanda. Her pretty handhandwriting and the envelop itself is always a treat for the eye. The first letter from her can be seen here.
Amanda is a photo based artist living in Toronto and she makes the most stunning photos. You can read about her photo process here and here.
Recently she has got her very first loom, a LeClerc with 4 shafts, as she likes textiles a lot. Eventhough it's small loom there is still so many options, as long as the weaver have a playful mind. You can weave with overtwisted threads in plainweave together with twill, or make stribes in the denting of the reed, with open-tight, being openminded is the best way to create.

The pretty envelop with Amanda's very fine handwriting, which I love so much.

Amanda always surprises me, here she has written the letter on a piece of fabric. It look japanese to me, like a tie-dyed with indigo.
Amanda is interested in how contemporary artist use craft in their practices, and how people make a living making textiles.

The letter contains a pretty stamp from India her friend Sanjay gave to her. Amanda is dreaming about visiting India with her boyfriend next year.
The little piece of thread is cotton. Right now she is weaving towels of it and finaly pretty initials of my name; KNR.

Dear Amanda, thank you so much for this letter. Your letter written on the fabric will soon be in my studio.

FROM AMANDA.

Received from Amanda in Canada, March the 24.

I have just got this oh so fine letter from Amanda. She wrote to me, wanting to be part of my textile letter exchange.

Part of the letter from Amanda.

The card merges that Amanda went to school for photography. The card is made with an old doily. Amanda have used the cyanotype process, a technique from the 1830's that creates a blue image using 2 liquids (chemicals) that become light-sensitive when, mixed together. The doily, in this case acted as a "negative".

This is such an amazing present. Thank you!

There is so many fantastic details in the letter from Amanda. This is one of them. On the card she have printed / stamped 18 MAR 2012. I would love to be able to find these stamps myself.

I love this idea. Fabric ends!!
Just like Amanda, I too like the circles with the different colors of inkdye.

Here is a polaroid of the first dress Amanda have ever sewed. She still wears it. The fabric end of "Fresh paint by Michele Dámore for Marcus" is the textile Amanda have sewn the dress from.

On the envelope "textile letter inside" were written. Such a beautiful detail. I'm in love with it.

Dear Amanda, I want to thank you for your delicate letter to me. I will put the fabric ends and your beautiful handmade card up in studio.

FROM HERMINE.

Received from Hermine in Belgium, January 27.

My first textile letter ever have I received from Hermine from JOURNAL DE JOURS and now she has sent me one more. Right now Hermine is part of an exhibition at Huis van Alijn.
Hermine is a textile designer and she is working with so many fantastic and amazing projects. You can see some of her photos here.
The textile letter is divided into two. First part is Hermine's Words for Strangers project which I am now part of.

There is a little color theme; BLUE like indigo, which I love.
Hermine must some how know that I like the Boucherouite rags from Morocco, as the little card with red is one of these. Thank you.

The Words for Strangers project.
Hermine have send me this little package with notes, and some of them are empty for my own words. I am going to hang them on bikes, like she do, and take photos and send them back to her.

Pretty "old" photos from Huis van Alijn. I remember these kind of photos and have seen them in my grandmothers photo albums when I were a child. The white edge with the little zig zag reminds of the old times.

The second part of the textile letter was for me so touching and in a way it also took me  back in time.
First a little sample of Hermine's weaving in blue and white.



Hermine have found a book full of old bobin lace and so sweet as she is, she thought of me and sended me these beautiful pieces. Actually they are more than beautiful, pretty and amazing. They take me into another world of happiness.

They touched me, as my grandmother taught me to do bobin lace when I were 14 years. I still remember the evenings when I sat in her living room and she learned me how to do the spiders web. Later on when she became older she could not remember how to make it, and then it was me who had to help her to make the spiders web. It is because of this; bobin lace I am fascinated by the gauze weaving.

Dear Hermine, as I know you love cats a lot (from your photos), I am sending you a little sneak peak of my wonderful cat Osvald. He loves sleeping like here and he is now 14 years old. We have shared so many good things together, and he have always been there for me even when I have been sad. He is very special to me, so therefore this photo is for you.

Thank you so much for this so amazing letter. You already know how much it means to me with the bobinlace. These I will hang in my studio, as I like beeing surrounded by beautiful things that is close to my heart.