Saturday, April 30, 2016

fold lines and silk patchwork

women's vintage handkerchiefs, some cotton, some linen,  unfolded
My dear friend Connie gives me things when I visit her.
Over the winter she gave me a box of handkerchiefs.  Then she gave me another.
I pinned the hankies up to see if they would cover my design wall,
Yes, I think they will.

Then I noticed the beautiful folds.
The hills and valleys, the lines and creases.
Then I thought about how those lines came to be.
Laundry.
Washing, bleaching, ironing, folding carefully, ironing again and again.
Making small packets of empty heat and time.  Holding it secret.
No stitching other than the occasional monogram, which I believe was done in a factory.

I just wanted to make a note of this.  Of me noticing.
Martha Agry Vaughn Quilt 1805  Maine  silk patchwork
I have also been looking at this beauty.
It's giving me a path.
It is in the collection of the Winterthur Museum.

13 comments:

apiecefullife said...

A path. Funny how similar our journeys can be on the other side of the world.I am currently cutting hundreds of triangles.

Unknown said...

It was nice to see you last Wednesday night at the Espanola Library. Looking forward to your talk on symbols next month.

Lynn Holland said...

This is such an interesting path for your readers to follow. I wonder where it will take you and us.
I have many vintage hankies with beautiful designs. I match one with my outfit everyday, keeping it tucked in a pocket or the cuff of my sleeve

Judy Martin said...

Carmelle, it was nice to see you on Wednesday. I look forward to seeing how these story flags develop.

Lynn, I have been working with hankies, but I have been stitching into them, amassing them.
To examine their folds is something else. Not sure if I'm up to it actually. I like thinking about you tucking a vintage hankie into your cuff for your every day companion.

Maria, I went to your blog and viewed the video of your exhibition. Well done.

Thank you for all comments. They make me feel connected to a wider world of like minds and hearts.

xo

india flint said...

hills and valleys
dips and folds
beautiful

Morna Crites-Moore said...

How lovely! And I love the color changes in your image.

All those fold lines create crosses, too. :-)

Liz A said...

The folds remind me of book signatures ... triggering an "aha!" moment as I too have many handkerchiefs and have been wondering how best to use them.

Montse Llamas said...

I have some handkerchiefs from my childhood waiting to be used. Nor ready yet.

jude said...

Love the fold, I remember doing something like this to make myself a guide for stitching. A special kind of line, a fold.

Mo Crow said...

love the way the light changes from gold to blue across the whiteness

Liesbeth Williams said...

But I think it is the beautiful 1805 quilt that has shown you a path. It is wonderful. So contemporary in its way.

Judy Martin said...

You are right Liesbeth. I am very inspired by the quilt - I love the folded hankies, but I don't have an idea how to go forward from them in my work - but that quilt has given me an answer to a question I have been asking.
Quite excited about it actually.
x

Bev white said...

An astonishing piece of art...that Winterthur quilt !!!
Thanks for showing it...a highlight for today!