PROJECTS
Holding it Together
Stitch and Think: Mending at the Museum
HOLDING IT TOGETHER
The darns in a much-loved garment are usually stronger than the material they are mending. The jumper recedes, leaving the darns intact. Taking this to absurd lengths I have made a piece of fabric composed entirely of darns.
It was inspired by the sampler of pattern darning on muslin made by Eliza Sparkes in 1825, which is in the collection of Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery. The small white square tells the moving story of a child who must have struggled to achieve such perfection.
Copper wire, patinated, invisible thread, stitched.
Detail
Full piece is 60 x 60 cms
2012
Photographer: Robin Mather