Lori Lee Sauber, Spokane Handweavers Guild, Spokane Valley, WA
Winner: Best Use of Novel or Recycled Fiber, sponsored by ANWG 2025
Material & Technique:Description: Woven in plain and basket weave on a Leclerc Dorothy 4-harness and off-loom on the copper pipe frame.
Warp: copper, silver, and gold wires
Weft: cotton warp yarn space-dyed by the artist with found object embellishments and photos printed on fabric.
Description: 20 years of intensive genealogical research helped me to realize a lasting truth about my family. Fiber, whether it is wood, wool, leather, or cotton, runs as deep within my blood as the DNA. This work is inspired by five centuries of that documented family history depicted as a strand of DNA with the artful chromosomes that make me who I am. References include photos printed on cloth of an 18th century estate will of Patrick Henley bequeathing two “loome and geares” to his children; my 19th century Great-Grandmother Elizabeth Carr at her spinning wheel; my 20th century Great-Grandparents, Grandparents, Parents, Aunts, Uncles, and my beloved sisters – all highly skilled with needles, hooks, saws, chisels, and bobbins; and lastly, my own space-dyed warp yarn and weaving here in the 21st century. Found item references within this work are packets of needles and needle pullers, embroidery thread and pattern, a seam ripper (sadly, way too necessary!), a jackknife for whittling with Uncle Jack, and buttons of crystal, wood, and plastic cut from generations of handmade clothing. Thank you, my beautiful, talented family, for your inspiration, instruction, and invaluable guidance through my own exploration as a creative artist.
