k3n

​I work within the ethos of Slowstitch, a process-focused, mindful approach to creating textile art pieces that tell a story. My process often begins with the cloth itself. Old cloth has a story to tell: how it has worn, how it tears, how it takes dye, how it responds to the needle; is it resistant or receptive? As I stitch, an idea emerges and I allow the piece to evolve.

Slow hand-stitching limits my consumption and allows me to form a relationship with the cloth. I use old cloth and thread, sometimes naturally dyed or eco-printed.   My creative practice treads as lightly as possible upon the Earth.

It is important to me that my process shows in the finished piece. I don’t unpick 'mistakes' or replace a cloth so fragile that a hole forms as I stitch. I simply stitch on, mending or incorporating the 'fault' in some way. Surface embroidery creates a thread map on the back of the cloth. I was taught that this should be neat or covered up. As I stitch, I move across the cloth, let the stitches on the back fall where they may, leaving visible the path I took.

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Details of The Coverlet of Comfort are below