``Collapse'' Textiles
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This section of the collection includes two groups of ``Collapse''
textiles: seven pieces by Mary Frame, woven in the 1980's, and some
of the experiments from Anne's replication of the
``Peruvian ace bandage''
found at the De Young Museum some time in the 1960's. This replication
influenced many weavers to play with the idea of collapse over the
years.
One of the first artists to become intrigued was Lillian Elliott, who
played with this process during the 70's and 80's. She and her students
would sometimes in the process of critiquing their weavings decide they
needed more interest, take the chance of putting them in hot water or
the dryer, and transform the cloth into something that would come alive.
Any discrepancies in twist or fiber would cause puckering or shrinking
of some areas, even if the sett were close. At one point Lillian oversaw
a large project of overspinning various types of yarns, involving
students to take data on degree of spin, direction, role as warp or
weft, etc., to record what happens in the cloth. A summary of Lillian's
playing with collapse over the years is given in her article in In
Celebration of the Curious Mind, ``In Search of Collapse'', p. 103.
Spinners particularly became interested in this quality achieved with
overspinning. Articles began to appear in the weaving and spinning
magazines. Mary Frame became intrigued and began her own experiments in
the 1980's, producing beautiful shawls, shirts and jackets, and included
knitting as well as weaving with overspun yarn. Mary made a major
contribution to the subject in her articles in Spinoff during
1986-87. The pieces included in this group which were woven by Mary
were gifts to Anne, and she has generously permitted them to remain in
the collection. We think Anne was particularly tickled by the activity
cultivated by her discovery.
None of Anne's completed pieces are in the collection, but we have
slides of her beautiful large shawl showing hen tracks, and the
fabulous eight harness natural black and white waffle weave blanket. Please
visit the Peruvian section of this
collection to see more ``collapsed'' pieces: a
supplementary warp and weft collapsed piece that Anne wove (pictured
in Tidball's monograph on Peruvian cloth) and some gauze samples and
pieces.
These pieces are included in two study boxes which may be
ordered for a temporary loan.
Two Ace Bandage samples, Merino,
"Hen tracks" detail from shawl

Left washed, Right unwashed
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Updated February 2003
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