Lineage In Fiber

Finding oneself starts at the beginning. Thanks to the South Carolina Arts Commission Emerging Artist Grant, I get to do exactly that. This project is daunting. It is emotional. It is exhilarating. It marks a pivotal moment in my artistic journey, as I step beyond technique and into legacy. Lineage in Fiber is the second mosaic in my legacy journey, honoring the two women who shaped me into who I am: my grandmothers.

Through this body of work, I am learning more about who they were, how they shaped their families, and how their lives echo through mine. Both of my grandmothers worked in the textile mills of South Carolina. Today, I work in textiles too, using fiber as creative expression and self care. That parallel feels deeply intentional. Their labor sustained their families. My labor now tells our story.

Beatrice Chapman

April 15, 1927 - June 24, 2024

Dorothy Ann Robinson

March 5, 1930 - December 30, 2013

Each portrait will be composed of 62,000 quarter-inch needle-felted wool squares in hand-dyed brown tones, building warmth and depth across nearly six feet of space. Originally, the squares were going to be larger. But during early testing, I realized that to achieve clarity and likeness, the squares had to become smaller. Smaller units meant sharper detail. Sharper detail meant greater scale. That decision expanded each portrait to nearly six feet tall.

Because of the magnitude of this project, the grant allows me to focus on one grandmother at a time, beginning with this foundational portrait.

Phase 1.0: Scaling the Vision

Phase I centered on structure, metrics, and clarity. I had to determine how many squares would be required to build depth and realism. Through testing, recalculating, and refining, I landed on 62,000 quarter-inch units per portrait. Precision at this scale is technical, physical, and mental. Every square matters.

Color also shifted during this phase. Initially, I planned to create both portraits in grayscale. Conceptually, it felt classic and clean. But as I mapped both images, grayscale did not serve them equally. It flattened their warmth and diminished dimension.

I transitioned to warm brown tonal families. Browns hold depth. Browns hold history. Browns hold skin, earth, shadow, and light all at once. The change felt more truthful to the women I am honoring.

Phase 2.0: Color Matching and Palette Development

I am currently in Phase II, the color matching and palette fiber prepping stage.

For this portrait alone, I will be working with 22 individual colors. Using DMC threads as my reference system, I dyed wool to match each tone precisely, creating a consistent value map for the portrait.

This stage stretched me.

Brown is not a single color. It is a spectrum. It shifts red, gold, ash, umber, and sepia depending on saturation and depth. Brown is a rainbow within itself. That realization has been one of the most beautiful and surprising parts of this process.

It took me three weeks to dye-match the brown DMC threads. Three weeks of testing, adjusting, comparing in different lighting, and refining. It was challenging, but it sharpened my understanding of tonal layering in ways that will impact my work long beyond this project.

Phase 2.1: Quantity and Preparation

I am now in Phase 2.1, which focuses on dyeing the full quantity of fiber needed for the portrait and carding it so it is ready to use.

Color matching the tones was one challenge. Reproducing those exact tones in larger quantities is another. Each batch has to be consistent so that when I begin felting the squares, the values transition the way they are mapped.

This stage is repetitive and process-driven. It requires focus and patience, but it sets the foundation for the entire portrait. If the fiber is not prepared correctly now, it will show later.

Phase 2.2 – Preparing the Fiber

Now that all 22 colors have been dyed for Lineage in Fiber, I moved into preparing the wool for felting.

Using my drum carder, I created wool batts for each color. Drum carding blends the fibers evenly and adds air, making the wool loftier and easier to needle felt.

A few colors required small adjustments to achieve the correct hue. Some needed additional white to adjust the value, and one required a small amount of black to deepen it.

In total, I prepared one ounce of wool for each of the 22 colors.

The fiber is now ready for the next stage of the project.

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Woolen Prep

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Wool Carding

Phase 2.3 – Gridding the Portrait

In this phase, I grided chart that will guide the needle felting process. The grid maps out exactly where each color will be placed to form the portrait.

This step is critical because it determines both the scale of the finished piece and the total materials required. It confirms how many wool sheets will be needed and establishes the overall size of the final portrait.

Each wool sheet will contain 1,247 individual squares. When combined, all of the sheets will total approximately 62,000 squares.

This grid becomes the structural foundation for the entire mosaic.

Griding the Grid

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The purpose of Griding the Grid

Phase 2.4 – Cross-Stitching the Color Palette Chart

In this phase, I cross-stitched the color palette chart. Out of all the steps in Phase 2, this was the most straightforward.

The purpose of this step was to create a stitched color key that I will reference throughout the project. Each color is assigned a specific symbol, making it easier to identify and place the correct wool during the needle felting process.

With the color key complete, Phase 2 is officially finished. From the start of the dyeing process to the end of Phase 2.4, took a total of 5 1/2 weeks.

We are now ready to begin Phase 3!

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