The slow methodical nature of hand stitching is what I find
most seductive about it. I use needle and thread to pierce cloth making marks
which represent the passage of time, with stitches. I use the same simple running
stitch that has been used as a means to join layers of cloth to make blankets,
to repair clothing in Japanese boro fabric, in West Indian kantha stitching,
and in quilt making. The method of using the humble stitch in the language of
embroidery is relevant to me today.
Growing up I remember the sound of my mom at the sewing
machine was the sound of comfort at night; it was the sound of home and that
all is well. It is not surprising that the act of hand stitching is a calming
process for me.
I work in fiber art as a medium to create a record of time.
The marks I make are sustained recordings of countable moments. When I stitch, I am trying to be aware of
what is going on in my life; to have clarity so I can be in the moment.
