2019 Pacific Northwest Library Association Conference

Due to digital humanities, the possibilities of creating vibrant fiber art from many drawings, including those of ancient and medieval manuscripts, has become abundant! Anyone can create their own patterns using iron-on-transfer paper and digital humanities to revive illuminated images and transfer them into fiber art. Archives, Libraries, and Museums (LAMs) have worked hard to provide many full-text and illuminated manuscripts digitally accessible on the Internet. This presentation will address the research and technology involved in locating trusted sites for medieval and historic digital images, understanding digital-use laws, how to edit images using various software, and printing digital images onto iron-on-transfer-paper. Upon ironing an image onto fabric, these manuscript images can then be embroidered. The presentation will also address laid work, the ancient embroidery technique as found in the Bayeux tapestry, which can be easily applied over the image to create a fiber art piece.  Creating laid work on fabric allows for the historical art to be framed and hung. Having completed laid work on the images from the 13th century manuscript, Las Cantigas de Santa Maria, the presenter can attest that the images become more alluring and invites closer examination from viewers and art enthusiasts. The fiber gives the images a vivid and rich look and gets the art work off of the print page or computer screen, to be displayed in a frame, and hung on the wall.   

1). To locate and understand the availability of digital humanities collections. 2). To learn the basics of copyright when using digital images. 3) To create an embroidery pattern using digital images and iron-transfer-paper technologies, as well as learn about the history and ease of the art of laid work.