Series: Appalachian Rainy Day, Window View, and Prairie Fire
Geri Forkner / United States
This process merges two textile languages: the precision of weaving and the organic unpredictability of felting.
To create transitions in weaving and felting, the series progresses in weight and character:
Appalachian Rainy Day — dense and textural, upholstery weight
Window View — supple and structural, coat weight.
Prairie Fire — light and airy, reminiscent of a sweater weight.
Through this intentional variation, the works trace a tactile evolution—cloth transformed by the very forces that test its strength.
Each work consists of a three-yard length of loom-woven cloth, later shingled with fine wool and wet felted to approximately 30% of its original size.
Each piece represents a different weight and function, progressing from upholstery weight to coat weight to light sweater weight. The variation in materials and shrinkage allowed the woven and felted elements to interact uniquely—revealing how structure, fiber, and finish transform one another through process.