When people choose to highlight a piece of your work as one of their “favorites,” what is your take-away from that? In last month’s September Textile Love challenge, sponsored by Seam Collective, the prompt for the last day is “Favourite post from another participant.” Two of my posts were selected (both a surprise and delight to me!) by two different participants and one post was included in the highlight reels from Seam Collective.
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| Embroidery and hand stitching over watercolor painting. From my 100 Day Project—Paint, Paper, Stitch—in 2024. |
Anna Armitage choose this piece (above), from my 2024 100 Day Project called “Paint, Paper, Stitch,” as one of 9 favorites from the September Textile Love Challenge. It’s one of the watercolor compositions I created on paper and then hand stitched and hand embroidered. In response to one of the comments on this Day 5 “Stitch” post, I shared a few tips about stitching through watercolor paper… something I learned through working the 100 Day Project.
“A Tribute to Steve” (below) was my response to the Day 28 prompt, “Frame.” It was featured in Seam Collective’s reel for that day. Their observation was, “The word < frame > holds so much more than just a boundary. It’s a space where creativity is nurtured, the structure that shapes our stories, and the lines that guide our thread. And of course the magic happens when we think beyond it. When we challenge the frame, break its limits to get closer to a sort of truth—let the fibers tell their own story. The framing is not just about the containing, delineating, porting… it’s about the act of laying the table, setting up for infinite possibilities.”
“Here [from veronica.fiberantics], each color provides framing and contrast that changes our perception of the adjacent block. Speaks of depth and intimacy.”
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| “A Tribute to Steve” Improvisationally pieced, machine quilted, with hand embroidery. |
Julie Aldrich, who narrowed her favorites to three new-to-her artists whose work stood out to her and also choose this same piece, and said, “Your creative quilts have given me just the nudge I needed to use my stash and just go for it!”
I posted this photo on Day 27 in response to “Superpower.” “Yep—that is really a superpower!” was a comment from Claire Manners Wood.
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| Free-motion quilting (back view). |
My take-aways
Knowing the background story of each of these pieces, I have a certain perspective on them. Unless told in a description or artist’s statement, the viewer does not have this knowledge and only responds directly to the work visually. Here are my thoughts about the viewers’ insights that were shared with me:
- I think the most powerful pieces (the ones people respond to) are the ones that we, as the artist/maker, are passionate about. If one lets the passion direct the work, it comes through to the viewer. This passion cannot be forced.
- Don’t give up. The piece from my 100 Day Project took different twists and turns before it was completed. Working on this composition extended multiple days—moving between painting, stitching, painting, and stitching more. In the final composition, there is a lot of depth, nuance, layers, and color shifts. The initial composition was not very good or interesting, but in the end—through additional work and determination—it became more complex and interesting.
- Setting up—and showing up for—your art practice is critical to progress.
- Seeing a piece through another’s eyes brought me insight I had not thought of, or seen. The idea of a “frame” is an example of this. I’ll be thinking about this as I face future work.
- It’s so gratifying to get insightful feedback from other textile artists. It’s a wonderful, encouraging validation of the time and work that one devotes to one’s craft or discipline. Sometimes we get too close to our work and miss the forest for the trees.
Thanks for Seam Collective for hosting September Textile Love. This was my 7th year participating. It’s always a wonderment of inspiration! You make us all think “beyond the frame.”
The Seam Collective manifesto:
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| Seam Collective manifesto. |
