THREAD LAYING ON FABRICS (Cheri)

We were at a museum in northwest Virginia for a few days last week, and I was surprised by what drew my attention the most:  a "Contemporary Embroidery" exhibit.

Do you see the anatomical heart stitched into this jacket?

Ms. Coates Perez is a very multi-talented individual; she calls herself a "Creative Alchemist."  I was lucky to take a class from her several years ago, on combining paper and fabrics in collage work.  She has published three books and a number of inspiring magazine articles and teaches classes in person and online. 

This exhibit was at the Virginia Quilt Museum.  The exhibit curator's statement implied that during the pandemic, artists picked up nontraditional embroidery as a way of meditating, which I thought was brilliant!  I can't sit still without my mind taking off, but put a needle in my hand and I might be able to focus my thoughts.

​Here is the statement from the creator of the next piece:

Looking at the piece close-up, I thought about how DIFFICULT it would be to stitch my thoughts without trying to achieve line-by-line visual perfection, all the while knowing that part of the process is simply getting the words on the "paper."  Maybe I'll try this some day?

This was the piece that Ms. Portmess created in 2024.  She also exhibited the matching piece that she created in 2023.

I love the vibe of Depression-era aprons.  Part of it speaks to me of coziness and hugs.

Imagine my surprise when I read the words embroidered on this apron, and the artist's explanatory statement!

(On another note, see how even the stitching on that piece is?  At first I thought that it was machine embroidered, but I'm pretty sure not.)

I was very surprised to see the next two pieces.  I'd seen Ms. Sinchinova's work on Pinterest and assumed that she lived in Eastern Europe - home of much lovely embroidery - rather than Virginia.

What a delight to see it up close!

I wish that I had thought to take a close-up picture of the work, so that I wouldn't have to show you an expanded section of a larger photo.  About 99% of her work is comprised of tiny knots of thread.

I loved the choice of frame on this piece:

We saw this work at the Virginia Quilt Museum, and I had primarily planned this visit to see the work of Betsy True, who created this work:

Frances Perkins was a very progressive individual.  The quilt says that Perkins, the Secretary of Labor from 1933-1945:

was the principal architect of the New Deal, the Social Security Act, and
the Fair Labor Standards Act.  She also advocated for
​universal access to health care.

I'd read about her briefly in the outstanding book The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World, by A.J. Baime.

I saw a quilt that Betsy True had created, a depiction of a Frank Lloyd Wright building in the Washington, D.C. area, in February.  (You can see it in this blog post.)  I was glad to see more of her work, and truly surprised, once we made it to the Museum, at how interested I was in the embroidery exhibit.

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