About Thumb Print

Clothing Art

Multi-Dimensional Objects

Thumb Print was an idea that began in college in 1977 to create crafts from clothing to quilts. It integrated my love and appreciation for art in clothing and multi-dimensional objects. I think we will eventually see 4th and 5th dimensional representations some day.

The Thumb Print name, originally one word, became separated when I trusted an accountant to file its incorporation. I bring to it over forty years of education in art, needlecraft and design. It all began with the my first teacher, my mother, whom I thank daily. She taught me how to knit, crochet, and sew.

Weaving began with making pot holders at the after-school center and at summer day camp. I liked making them at a frequency which brought a very subtle exasperated look from Mom. Many years later, she expressed that she missed receiving since she had to remember to buy them.

I used knitting knobbies at several points in my life. A favorite was a beautifully engineered one where the top fit across my fingers. I could not find a replacement after one of the prongs broke but that was after I made French cords of red acrylic yarn I was recycling. I wove the strands into a wall hanging. This lead to a drawing of an extraterrestrial made from the cords that hung from the ceiling.

Images of weaving a few accent cords into a knitted sweater took shape. My sister modeled one for submission to WBAI's Christmas Craft Fair one year. Then the number of cords grew until they filled an entire sweater. The hybrid, combining knitting and weaving, was born.

Our current whereabouts...

The first executed hybrid example happened in the British Virgin Islands in 2000. It was a great garment for the sub-tropical climate. It was open so allowing the sea breezes to flow through it and cool the body.

The artwork includes photographed images by Dr. Clement E. Hill, II, during his tour in Southeast Asia during the Tet Offensive from 1967 to 1968. I thank him for praising the work and encouraging me to display the sweaters.

Please visit my blog, FourTold.
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SBI!