I've been thinking about stitch. For me stitch is done by both hand and machine I use an old 'Bernina' machine a real work horse. It will stitch neatly and precisely but fabric can also be pulled through at speed distorting the tension. I often work from the reverse of the image. The unexpected results add freedom and spontaneity to the surface.
As well as being a reflective and meditative process it can also be seen as an energetic and challenging activity. Polly Binns writes of: “a sense
of struggle and frustration; process becomes a conscious mark-making, not a
soothing or repetitive rhythmic activity. However, the most successful pieces
[for me] are those which develop from considerable lengths of time in the
‘meditative’ process stage, while the actual activity of making happens very
rapidly, almost angrily.” ’Art Textiles of
the World, Great Britain, Vol. 2. p.72
I will often work standing at the studio wall, making some marks, walking away, then turning to catch a glimpse liz hardinglike something noticed in the landscape.
