My mother had an ugly old sewing chest (like this one, only worse)
At Peters Valley, I removed all the fake plastic wicker and used only the wooden frames and handles, creating a flat version of the chest:
Here's the top of the closed chest:
Chest, Size: 11”H x 17”W x 3”D closed; 11”H x 26”W x 3”D open 2007
On the outside, I sewed bits of crochet and quilt yo-yo's, along with some crochet instructions. The inside covers have printed versions of the same arrangements. And the bottom of the chest holds ceramic versions of the arrangements. So:
The cover has the (dyed) crochet and yo-yo's. the underside of the left-hand cover has the same arrangement, but it's in print (using thickened dyes). Inside the chest are ceramic versions of the same materials - I pressed each one into clay, cut away the scraps, fired and stained them. By opening the chest, you see the actual handwork metamorphosing into fossils.
Written along the edge: Although the weaving and looms have rotted away, archaeologists sometimes find clay loom weights. I read that at many archaeological site, the only indication of textile activity is some clay impression. This cloth/print/ceramic chest addresses that fact.
Impressions Size: 15”h x 20”w 2007 This piece explicitly spells it out: Ancient textiles decayed long ago.....only impressions in the clay remain. The crocheted elements are embedded under the cloth, stitched onto the cloth, and presented as ceramic impressions.