Thinking about the use of stitch

Thinking about the use of stitch

Stitch, whether by hand or machine is a vital element in my making process. It is not used as a decorative device but as an integral drawing and mark making tool to articulate form and meaning as well as create a dynamic textured surface.

Stitch is the means of embedding narrative into the surface of the cloth and of articulating the maker’s voice. It can refer to transitory moments of observation and reflection .Stitch can suggest calm,be ‘haptic’ in nature; but can also be vital, alive, raw, opinionated  The calligraphic effect of the stitch mark suggests the narrative and the rhythm. The sewing machine makes fine freely drawn lines which can be manipulated by change of stitch length and tension to alter the structure of the surface of the cloth. Hand stitch might puncture the cloth surface, suggest movement. It takes the viewers eye across the surface of the cloth, involves them in the story the cloth is telling.

Rhythm is an important factor both in the putting together of pieces of cloth and the mark making whether with brush or stitch. I see the movement of thread and cloth  as analogous to moving through the landscape.

Artist Victor Pasmore wrote: “As the rhythmic divisions of time and sound in music find an echo in the deepest recesses of the mind, so do the spaces, the tones and the colours of painting.”  For me also.

 

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