Stitching

Cushion, Autumn Acer, 2010

Pushing a needle up and down by hand through layers of fabric to make a quilt, is definitely a labour of love.  There’s love in every stitch. I spend hours with the work on my lap, envisaging what it will look like when it’s finished, who will love it and cherish it, whether it will last centuries or just a few years. Hand quilting is a time for thought; there’s no rush, no urgency.

When I look at an old quilt my thoughts drift along the lines of stitching, imagining myself as the quilter’s hand.  I wonder about the people that have kept warm under it and how it was passed from one family to another on its journey from the past to the present. The layers of a quilt and its patchwork of joined pieces are a strong metaphor for the passing of time. Hours, generations, centuries, archaeological time…all held together with the simplest of stitches.

Some of the quilts I’ve designed and made recently are in the albums below. To find an album you want to look at hover over ‘categories’ (bottom left) and click on the one you want to see.  For info about an individual image click on the ‘i’ in the top right corner.  Enjoy!

Stephie x