I have always been fascinated by quilts; the stories they tell, the fabric used, the historical design and the idea of making a whole from a multitude of beautiful separate pieces. Mending, fixing and sewing together fills me with hope, a reflection that all parts can be made more beautiful as a whole. I also wanted to reflect the historical crafts of quilting and embroidery, often domestically done quietly, when they are stunning art forms in themselves. It is significant that when I was inspired to make this, I was sitting reading a novel about quilting, in an area linked historically to the textiles and silk weaving industries of the past. The past always informs my present.
Surrounded by the past, I started thinking about how I could find a way to encase and capture my own thoughts and memories. Over a period of weeks and into months, I wrapped bits of recycled card, old tickets and receipts as ‘thought’ templates in fabric offcuts and embellished and stitched them. I decided to use thread from my mother in law’s sewing box – she was an avid mender of the darning generation so that kept her busy hands alive through my stitching . Most of my fabric was gifted by own mother as bits, as she still makes her own beautiful clothes.
Each piece was made from something that otherwise would have been discarded or something found: I encased tiny twigs after a treasured walk. This process gave me time to think, stitching in welcome solitude.
Little Quilt of Thoughts
40 x 30cm, mixed media hand stitching and embroidery
£695
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