Equinox and Healing Cloth

Ann Z.

This weekend I held the spring session of Patching, Stitching, Weaving: Creating Healing Cloth. This session's workshop was full of color and meaning.

Ann Z. is working on a piece that is both sad and hopeful. As the workshop progressed...it became more and more hopeful. Full of love even in the face of sadness represented by a torn heart...one that may be healed with stitches. I'm looking forward to watching it progress.

Ann Z. detail.

Judy B. had fun with bright colors, ribbons, the number three and hearts. This piece reminded me of child's play. I imagined making dolls out of fabric and braiding hair. She is planning to send it to her three-year-old granddaughter.

Judy B.

Judy B. detail

Laurie T's piece is full of lovely little textures and subtle movement. She is planning many more stitched details such as the ribbon flower below. I really can't wait to see where this piece goes!

Laurie T.

Laurie T. detail.

Laurie T. beaded detail.

Alice H. brought along her beautiful shibori pieces. She is adding finishing details including textural stitches to set off the main motifs.

Alice H.

Alice H. detail.

Alice H. detail.

Alice A. is working on a self portrait and is including symbols important to her including a labyrinth and birds (to come). She used bits of fabric inherited from her mother and grandmother including the blue and white embroidered piece (from a larger Mexican embroidery).

Alice A.

Alice A. detail.

What an enjoyable weekend full of stitching and sharing...thanks to you all!

Equinox Cloth and Mark Making

I've been stitching away on the Equinox Cloth. It's been calming and meditative. I'm using a variation of the running stitch where there are small stitches on the front of the cloth and larger ones on the back. I'm trying to make parallel rows of these small stitches to see the effect that they make.

I like the gentle puckering of the cloth. I've noticed that the lines of puckering run perpendicular to the lines of stitching. I'm also enjoying the "feel" of the layers of stitched cloth...very solid in my hands.

The back side with the larger stitches is also beautiful in its own way. I used a hand-dyed backing cloth that complements the colors of the tea dyed fabrics on the front side.

Today, I pulled out Helen Parrott's book, Mark Making: Fresh Inspiration for Quilt and Fiber Artists.

I love how Helen Parrott works with simple stitches, such as the running stitch, to build a vocabulary of marks. She is strongly influenced by the marks she sees out in nature and in finding ways to interpret that in stitch. Below are some images from her book.

Some of the students in my Healing Cloth workshop suggested that I consider teaching a class just on embroidery. Many, many years ago, I did teach a series on basic hand stitches and how to manipulate them for different effects. I'm noticing that there is a growing interest in hand stitching again so it might be time to consider offering such a class...perhaps on mark-making and stitch structure. Hmm...ideas are starting to whirl around in my head...

Seasonal Cloth

It feels great to do some hand stitching. I mostly seem to do it at night in the hours before going to bed.

I'm finding it really relaxing.

Last night, I stitched a bunch on the new Equinox Cloth. I was surprised at how quickly the stitching went. I'm doing Invisible Basting which is really a variation of Running Stitch.

Tiny stitches on the front ...

Larger stitches on the back...

I'm really liking the sturdy feel of the stitched cloth and the subtle texture created by the cloth being slightly gathered by the stitching.

I've also spent some nights working on Early Spring. I'm stitching the border with tiny Back Stitches. This stitch takes time but I'm liking the results. I'm loosely following the printed background design and changing the direction of my stitches with a change in direction in the printed lines. I've been thinking that the stitching reminds me of making rows (furrows) in the dirt to plant seeds...which seems to fit right in with the theme of the piece.

Equinox Cloth

I was inspired today to start a new stitched cloth.

First, there was this piece on Jude Hill's blog. All that dark and light got me thinking about the vernal equinox coming and the balance between light and dark.

Then there is the fact that my Healing Cloth workshop is next weekend...just about the same time as the equinox. It seemed a fitting piece to start.

I've been toying around with placing a lace "mandala" in the center...but haven't found the right one yet.

This is an unusual piece for me..but I'm thinking that I like how it's starting. The tan fabrics were ones that I tea-dyed when I was preparing tea bags for last summer's tea books.

The blue is painted with some subtle resists using salt.