Marie Listopad

Fabric Art

My art is rendered of fibers—cloth, paper, plastics, string, thread, and yarn. My practice is to find or make my materials from fibers that are normally recycled or thrown away. The techniques I used are considered “heritage crafts” by The Heritage Crafts Association of Great Britain. This organization tracks the “endangerment” of various handmade crafts.

I learned crochet and embroidery from each of my grandmothers, who were each quite accomplished. I still own some of their work. My work with paper started with a pattern for small boxes made of cardstock I found in Craft Basket Magazine and a pattern flyer on tea bag folding. All my boxes and stars are made from scrap cardstock and paper. I enjoy the serendipity of the colorwork of the scrap. The cloth used is scrap from larger objects or found garments. Plastic strips are cut from various bags and are braided, crocheted, or knit into fabric or objects. Even the thread and yarn I use is scavenged from larger projects and damaged, unwanted clothing.

I named my crafting company Heritage Handmade Crafts to acknowledge the many ways I use materials.