GONE RUSTIC TASMANIA

marking time

When I started this textile artwork I had no idea how it would turn out. I just wanted to do some slow stitching!

the places i’ve been by rita summers

I also thought it would be good to use up some of my less interesting pieces of eco dyed fabric, and the many scraps left over from other projects. After years of making textile art I know that even the most boring materials can be transformed with embroidery, layering and so on.

the places i’ve been by rita summers

Just looking at them isn’t enough. I have to ‘play’, arranging and rearranging until I’m happy. With no preconceived ideas, the unexpected happens!

the places i’ve been by rita summers

After I’d organised the layers to my satisfaction (no trimming) I pinned them down and started stitching. I added appliqué, quilting, couching, seed and cross stitching over the next several days, mostly at my gallery in between customers.

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

Since I wasn’t sure what to do next I hung it up and left it alone for 24 hours. And the ideas came!

I stitched some letters. I thought about journeys (a recurring theme in my work), the passing of time, the milestones in my life.

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

To express these thoughts visually I stitched tally marks in red. I left a thread hanging after I reached 100, to signify the future, the unknown, the unfinished.

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

the places i’ve been by rita summers

Next, I quilted some diagonal lines to represent pathways. Masking tape keeps me straight - removable and reusable.

the places I’ve been by rita summers

the places I’ve been by rita summers

the places I’ve been by rita summers

the places I’ve been by rita summers

It was then I knew I had finished!

the places I’ve been by rita summers


10 comments

  • Love all your fabrics and stitching. They work really well together. And those red circles just pop and pull it all together!

    Liz Curtin
  • Such an inspiration, I have been playing with a painting for a few months, I ended up with a lot of circles on it. I am turning seventy this summer so I thought why not seventy circles. Looking at your piece, why not do something similar with my eco-dyed pieces. The masking tape idea is so simple and smart, can’t wait to get started. Thanks so much.

    Terry Leinbach
  • Layout,stitches,colours I thoroughly enjoyed this.

    Dorothy Warner
  • oh rita, everything you make has your unique mark… love your work… wish i could be with you and Margaret when she visits

    Jeanne A Mclaughlin
  • Gorgeous Rita, lovely work, and fabulous platform to discuss with more detail. I just love the warmth of the red with the greys/blacks.

    Liz Seymour

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