In the creative journeys of Alice Fox, Leslie Rottner, and Bonni Brooks, tools are far more than functional items; they’re as expressive and essential as the art itself. Each artist repurposes or crafts their tools from everyday and natural materials, transforming them into something personal and powerful. For some, this journey began out of necessity—a dried-out marker, an antique fork—yet evolved into a deeper connection with past makers and a reminder that meaningful tools need not be costly.
Alice Fox, from West Yorkshire, UK, draws on the textures of found and allotment-grown materials in her textile art. Leslie Rottner, a mixed-media artist living in the Adirondacks, creates natural brushes that reflect her surroundings. And Bonni Brooks, an Alaskan tapestry artist, integrates her experiences in art, dance, and photography to capture the wild beauty of Alaska. Together, these artists show how handmade tools add depth and intention to each piece, blending tradition, resourcefulness, and artistry.
Bonni Brooks: I started using household items as tools out of a combination of necessity and impatience. Missing a warp weight? Grab a dried-out marker and capture the warp end between the barrel and cap. Problem solved. When I shifted into tapestry weaving, the lazy habit of just picking a fork out of my silverware drawer shifted to seeking out beautiful antique forks that connected me to an earlier time, one of careful work and precious materials. The biggest change for me is a deeper connection to the makers who came before me and the deep, abiding value of materials and tools.
Over time, antique forks have become a tradition in my teaching as well. I give them to students as they leave their first fundamentals class. It helps us all understand that cost doesn’t have to be a barrier to making art (Most of my forks cost between one and three dollars), and that tools are in and of themselves small treasures worthy of our time and consideration.
Leslie Rottner: Several years ago, I decided to try making some mark-making tools with supplies that I already had. It really started out as a playful thing, and I enjoyed the marks they made. Repurposing and upcycling have always been something that interested me, so everything was repurposed, which made it that much more fun. As a collage artist, I didn’t really use the tools I made; instead, I made them for other people. Once I focused on mixed-media collage, I used them often.
Alice Fox: My practice is based around using materials sourced from my allotment garden, including plant fibers that I grow or gather on-site and then hand process. I also use found objects in my work, including old gardening tools, which become the basis of sculptural artworks. I am always looking to expand my materials knowledge and was keen to learn skills for using some of the wood from the fruit trees growing on the plot. I was already using the small, pruned twigs in my work but I wanted to learn some carving skills, so I took a green woodworking course.
Bonni Brooks: “Field bobbins” are the tools in my kit that undergo the biggest transformation, both individually and collectively over time. I never carry bobbins when weaving outdoors, but I generally have a pocket knife, super glue and sandpaper, all common items from my first aid kit. The earliest field bobbin was just a stick sanded smooth, but soon I started cutting notches to hold the yarn, then decorating them with bits of yarn, hair ties, moss from the trail, rocks, watercolors from my mini art kit, whatever came to hand. Trying to break smaller twigs off a big branch, I discovered how much fun it is to bend them instead and create fun loops on the end of the bobbin, so some of them have that feature. Field bobbins have long since stopped being something purely practical; they often make it home with me to be further embellished.
Leslie Rottner: Finding the stick is the first step. Then I clean it up and remove any bark, cut it to size, sand it, put it in an oven for several hours, drill the holes, apply oil, clean out any nooks and crannies, add the brush material, wax it, and wood burn my logo. As my appreciation of a piece of wood grew, I started to use other wood, like burls and spalted maple. I used to dress them up a bit, but over time the brushes became more about the beauty of the wood and less about embellishing them.
Alice Fox: I take sections of branches that have been pruned from the fruit trees in the winter to make my needles. I split these down into sections with an axe, take off the bark, and start to shape them somewhat with the carving axe. I then take off more wood with a knife to get each section to a long, fairly cylindrical shape. I drill holes to make the needle eyes and split each piece into two needle lengths. I can then make the finishing cuts with the carving knife to refine the shape and add the taper.
Bonni Brooks
The most profound difference between these tools is the variety. Antique forks come in a wide range of sizes from cocktail forks to carving forks, so I always have an array of different sizes and weights available to me. The rounded tines on many of them and the way they balance on my hand can really help with small, fine work. I love my beautifully made Magpie forks too, but having a range of sizes and weights is a huge benefit.
Similarly, the sticks and twigs that make field bobbins come in all sizes and weights, and I can cut them to the length that works best for what I’m weaving. Many of them are curved and nest nicely between my thumb and index finger in a way that makes them an extension of my hand.
I like variations in the surface of my woven fabric, sometimes even using the tip of a bobbin to pull strands up out of the weft bundle, creating little loops and bubbles on the surface. Small, fine, lightweight tools help me do that.
Leslie Rottner: My tools are very rustic and the marks can be very unexpected, which makes the mark making so interesting. I also think they are beautiful to look at which isn’t always the case with a store-bought tool.
Alice Fox: Each needle is unique. They vary a little in length and width. Some have more of a natural curve in them (which can be useful for some weaving tasks). The tone of the wood also varies.
Bonni Brooks: Absolutely! The two tools I’m considering here capture two divergent but equally important aspects of my work:
Field bobbins are resourceful, resilient, and a little bit rough around the edges. They are the perfect tool to connect with and make work about nature. I’m working on a piece now comparing fire seasons from different years in Alaska, and a field bobbin made from wood near a recent burn is being used to make the piece. It connects place to purpose, and I hope the final piece will reflect that. Some of my work is shown outdoors, so using tools made from trail detritus to create work that will be displayed on the trail is a really wonderful synergy.
The antique forks connect me to the past in general and more specifically to “women’s work,” for me a key component of working in textiles. As a modern textile artist, the personal and artistic freedom I now enjoy was built by the hands and hearts of women who came before. The forks are a constant reminder of that and of the tension through history between domestic arts, guild-controlled craft, and the broad freedom of expression we enjoy in contemporary textiles. That’s quite a bit to interpret from a dinner fork, but it’s all there for me.
Leslie Rottner: Working with my hands is something that I’m good at. It centers me and calms my mind, so anything I make and use most definitely affects my art.
Alice Fox: There is definitely a deeper connection when working with these handmade tools, and knowing where the wood is from adds another layer of meaning.
Bonni Brooks: The most memorable moment for me is seeing a workshop full of new weavers all working with antique forks. I have always supplied enough forks in each workshop for everyone to try one, but over time a community practice has evolved where workshop participants bring forks for each other, share them, compare them, and make sure every beginner leaves class with a treasured fork in her hands. It has turned into a ritual and a form of recognition. We celebrate the cutting off of each weaver’s first piece with the gift of a fork, and the forks in turn silently identify us as a community of weavers rather than just isolated individual artists.
Leslie Rottner : I can’t think of a particular moment, but I do feel that creating with a tool that didn’t exist before I made it is very satisfying.
Alice Fox: This is a relatively recent development in my making, so it’s difficult to pinpoint anything specific. However, when I teach and my students are invited to choose a needle to use for their weaving in the class, they know it has come from my plot and is handmade. This adds something to their experience.
Bonni Brooks: Have no fear! The worst thing that can happen is that a tool won’t work. So what? Make another one. We spend so much time with our tools and the feel of a tool in your hand that you made or found deepens the meaning of handwork. The thing we’re making is important, but we also need to give ourselves permission to draw deep enjoyment from the process. Tools are a big part of that.
Leslie Rottner: I would tell anyone to make their own tools. Keep trying new materials and see what happens. You can’t go wrong, and the marks will surprise you.
Alice Fox: Definitely have a go. I would recommend taking a course with an expert if it means working with tools or processes you are unfamiliar with. I learned how to use sharp tools safely and efficiently at a course I took.
Bonni Brooks: Two things. First, I hope that seeing my tools in action helps others see that learning to weave tapestry is approachable, that expensive tools and supplies aren’t really necessary to make beautiful and meaningful work. Second, I hope that seeing the tools inspires curiosity. Where did you get that? Why are you using it? Curiosity is, to me, one of the great gateways to deep conversations and interactions with art, and if that curiosity starts with a fork or bobbin, that’s just fine with me.
Leslie Rottner: I hope that people realize that they are useful tools and not to be coddled. If you think about it, the materials used can handle use and abuse. Brooms, wallpaper brushes, wooden casters are all utilitarian and will hold up making marks.
Alice Fox: I think they feel connected to the place that my work is rooted in.
Find out more about these incredible artists on their websites:
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Cami Smith is the Fiber Art Now media manager, a contributing editor, and a mixed-media artist.
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