Handwork and The Craft

All The Ways Lace is Bound Into Cloth

I have been washing and gently bleaching all the beautiful, but soiled bits of lace and scraps salvaged from ancestor's farm after it was vandalized. It is amazing to see how beautiful and white it becomes once cleaned and hung to dry in the desert sun. I marvel too at the sheer variety of lace -- from wide cuts of embroidered batiste to the thinnest bands of tiny patterned lace. But when I started washing my great-great grandmother and great-great aunts' blouses, I realized that all that lace was sewn by hand, sometimes strip by strip, together to create the blouse, an elaborate geometrical design of subtle, intricate patterns, that viewed from a distance smoothed into a complete and seamless design. Satisfying, like a well written novel, a well cooked meal, a well planted garden, and other mysteries of the universe. 

Matthew Cox: Embroidered X-Rays

I am always astonished to see the new directions modern embroidery has taken -- such as Michelle Kingdom's small embroidered scenes of life, Jillian Tamaki's gorgeous book covers, and Stacy Page's photographs wonderfully embellished with stitches. So, oh how I love this work of Philadelphia artist Matthew Cox -- transforming the imagry of an x-ray into beautiful color and life -- from bones to flesh and nature.

Of his Embroidered X-Rays Cox writes on his website:

For me, stitching has a nurturing aspect and acts as care giving or healing to the injured, a socially feminine sort of action, while the x-ray itself can be considered masculine and unemotional. Finally, my own recognition of what is beautiful [these separately became appealing to me at about the same time]. As an artist who takes on tedious, labor-intensive projects, I am also reacting to the ever-increasing presence of photography in contemporary art – by introducing the process of labor over the quick, slickness of film.

And you can read a short interesting interview with Matthew Cox at My Modern Met. (Also get an eyeful of more of his amazing work.) Also, among his portfolios is a splendid collection of mythic avatars (such at the bottom most image of Mercury Avatar), fairy tale characters and comic icons-- have a look here to see them.

Needle and Thread: A Lovely Manual

How beautiful is this 1833 Irish book of needlework instruction, created with great skill and thought. I do wonder about the needlewoman who took the time to create it, providing gorgeous miniature examples as a reference -- perhaps to remind herself of how she constructed something, or perhaps to pass on to others seeking to refine their technique. We are so used to seeing these days pattern books in paper with stamped or charted patterns -- but this old school version in needle and thread, in linen and muslim is just so remarkable and materially faithful to the craft.