I’m so excited to tell you about a new collaboration with Katie deGuzman, astonishingly talented jewelry designer whose company, K/LLER COLLECTION, has been a favorite of mine for years. Since I first saw her porcupine quill pendant - from an actual porcupine! - together with one made of brass I was enthralled. Her pieces are beautifully made from mostly recycled metal utilizing flora and fauna as inspiration as well as being actually incorporated. She uses terms like deconstruction and sculpture, decay and renewal, androgyny and femininity to describe her work, so naturally, we are kindred spirits. With these wonderful crystalline candle holders, K/LLER OBJECT was born, and napkins seem like a good addition for table decor.
When Katie asked me what I thought of this rusted sculptural object she found and if I thought I could make a textile from it, naturally I said it was beautiful and it would definitely make an interesting imprint on cloth. I began wrapping fabric in different ways around these 2 sickle mower teeth and combining with plant dyes to see what would happen. These napkins are dyed with pomegranate and logwood and are launching this weekend at FIELD+SUPPLY market in Kingston, NY.
Tractor Mike has a lot to say about sickle mowers, including that they are a rare find these days and actually not so efficient for cutting hay. “It’s not a brush hog” so don’t try to cut down small trees with it, he warns. Seems like creating textiles is a worthy second act for this pastoral gadget. As soon as I get the 20 I ordered 3 weeks ago from a farmer retiring his mower (I reckon), I will be experimenting further. DeJoy’s USPS is pretty inefficient these days, but that’s another story entirely.
