I’ve been overtaken by life for the last couple of weeks – this weekend was the first chance I had to get back to the TIF Challenge for February, and February is nearly over! I was thinking about joining fragments of fabric like fragments of memory, so I got out a pile of fabric saved from clothes I’ve worn to pieces over the last 30 years or so and tore a small square of each. Then I looked at several kinds of insertion stitches from Mrs Christie’s Samplers and Stitches, the book my grandmother used. Laced, twisted, knotted – how I struggled! Learning stitches from diagrams doesn’t come easily to me. I double checked the moves in one of the first embroidery books I ever got, back in 1984 (Needlework School by the Practical Study Group), but still I struggled.
In the end, I worked out how to do one stitch – buttonhole insertion stitch using a Tailor’s buttonhole – which is the same as buttonhole stitch but with an extra knot in the formation. I was jubilant when I got the hang of this!
I stitched the pieces together on a background fabric that was also an old shirt of mine, then cut away the background. It was something like shot viscose – another time I would use a natural fabric that would fray well. I managed to cut through one or two of the insertion stitches as I cut it away as well 🙁
I’m not sure if this sample will be the final piece or not – I’ll tell you on the 29th! I’d like to do another version on a different background, maybe a dark silk. I’d like to try a variation on vanishing fabric with machine insertion stitching. And I would love to master some more of those tricky hand stitches…
i absolutely love this, how they are all connected. it is perfect!
This is lovely. Joining together bits of you’re clothes is a bit like joining together fragments of self, do you think, and memory is also like that.. in fragments with threads that weave and connect.
Caroline
the interconnection of the pieces is brilliant and there’s something soothing and comforting about this piece.
neki desu
Needlework School was one of my first books aswell, and I later find out that as a random purchase, it was one of my better ideas! Unlike those white high heels which still lurk somewhere! maybe Altered Shoes is the way to go.
You have made such an exciting piece . I do love your work. I have just read your previous post which I enjoyed considerably. I am also fascinated by how memories change and enhance over time and how I am not sure which I really experienced and which I acquired from family folklore – this is why I have left the February theme for the moment as it seemed more than I could complete this month and settled for the colour option
This is such a creative idea. The colors work together so beautifully, and your stitching really sets off the patches. What a nice remembrance! Connie
I have signed up for the challenge too but I am not able to progress beyond the Idea part.Your work for the Challenge is very beautiful &thought provoking.It was a beautiful experience visiting your site.
Fiona – it’s great and you have done a fantastic job with the embroidery bits. I wouldn’t worry about the silk version, if I were you unless you want to! This “speaks” volumes about your past and it is very evocative. You can be proud of achieving the challenge.
Love the connections!What a woderful job.
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Victoria
What a beautiful piece.Very inspiring.I love the way you translated your memories.
I love everything about this piece!! I may have to borrow the idea for a project sometime. Not for TIF, but something. I loved reading about your thought process as you developed the piece.
I like your TIF for this month, although I have to say, you save more scraps than I do. Now I don’t feel so bad about my scraps. I think black silk might work on this, the contrast between the cottons and misc. and the elegance of the stitches and the silk.
Fiona, this is such a jouyful piece – at least to me, I don’t know if you cosider your memories joyous. First, I like how again you took it further: not thinking about specific events but about memories as such. And the way you interpreted it – the insertion stitches are like little hands holding all the pieces together.Lovely!
I love the stitching on this, the vanishing fabric idea sounds very interesting!
Fiona – this is too cool! I love the concept, I love the stitching, I love the texture BUT most of all, I love the way it comes together. And now you have a precious little meaningful piece that is rich with your history. So very nice!
Areally evocative and lovely piece.
Brilliant interpretation of the theme! I love it!
This is just beautiful – I love it. The interconnectedness of memories and the whole concept of fragments, great idea!!
Great job Fiona, love the piece!! Wow. the patterns we used to wear, ehh??
This is wonderful…found this while wandering randomly through blogspot, but it was such a nice surprise.
I like the way they are so tied together, both conceptually and physically. Nice work.
You kept clothes for 30 yrs! Wow, what more can I say. I love the idea of using your old clothes, the old book, your grandmother and connecting it altogether. Its bit like DNA for your life.
thank you all so much – I think (hope) I’ve replied to you all by email or on your blog – if I missed anyone, this is my thank you to you – I’m overwhelmed that so many people have taken the time to comment 🙂
I really like this. It particularly made me smile because three weekends ago I had a good sort through the wardrobe. At the end I had two piles of cloths – one for the charity shop and one to keep for crafts and lots of space in the wardrobe! When I came home from a workshop two weeks ago my partner proudly told me he had take the pile of clothes to the charity shop – both of them 🙁
CA
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