"Spirit Cloth"

Textile artwork by Jude Hill

Last weekend, I became intrigued with the work of Jude Hill over at Spirit Cloth. I have visited this site before, but suddenly became aware of Jude's influence on other artists, and my search led me from one blog to another and one beautiful piece of hand stitchery after another.

Jude's work appeals to me because I love hand stitching, and her process allows the design to develop as the work is being done. The stitch itself has its own integrity, is not always perfect, and tells a story, as well as adding beauty to the piece. Cloth is layered, sometimes woven, and always respected as a beautiful substance.

I've started this little piece and look forward to seeing where it takes me. It is a departure from the tidy work I usually do, and I'm enjoying every frayed edge and different texture. It's funny, I had been going through my ginormous fabric stash in recent months and separated out a box of linens and rough textured cloths because they really appealed to me. Some are fabric samples that are 20 years old, some are linen napkins I have bought for pennies on clearance because there was only one, and some are remnants I used to pick up at a mill end store when I lived in New York. I didn't know what I would do with these, but knew that I liked them. I'm also using some scraps of cotton which I hand painted, and I plan to incorporate all of  these into some landscapes soon. Also, I'll be using some of my mom's perle cotton embroidery threads, which she used in her needlework, and I look forward to feeling her close to me as I do the embroidery on this piece.

Even though I'll be doing this my own way, I thank Jude for being an inspiration! There is a nice write-up about her here.