time is a beautiful whirl

Not To Know But To Go On by Judy Martin at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery 2013, Canada

Q:  Can you please describe how to do the couching technique that you use on your big journal-sculpture, Not To Know But To Go On.   Thank you.

Not To Know But To Go On at the World of Threads Festival 2014 Oakville Canada

Lately, I have received several emails with questions and this post contains a brief tutorial about the technique in Not To Know But To Go On, and also some exciting news about it. 

Not To Know But To Go On at Mary Black Gallery Halifax Canada with Penny Berens in exhibition Cloth of Time 2016

First the news:
Not To Know But To Go On is part of the new SAQA global exhibition, 3-D Expression.  This show opens in Grand Rapids Michigan in September and travels until 2023.  I shipped it to SAQA at the end of May.

To make it:   

It's so simple.  Tear strips of fabric and couch them to a base of heavier weight cloth.  

Q:  What type of material do you couch onto?
 A:  I cut panels from artist cotton canvas to measure about 13" x 22", and then later stitched them together with cotton tape.

Q:  Are you using regular quilting fabric cut into strips?  If so, how wide?  Do you finish your edges?

A:  The type of fabric varies.  I use cotton quilting and dress-making fabric, linens, silks, polyester sheer fabric,  and re-purposed clothing. The fabrics were collected over my years of being a quilt maker and a mother, and I only used fabrics that I love.  I tear strips of the fabric about 3/4 inch wide and do not finish the edges.  Rather I roll it into itself and lay it on the base cloth. Once I decide on a piece of cloth, I use it all up.

I couch the cloth to the base with the thread in a wrapping stitch.  This stitch looks as good on the back as it does on the front.  (see below photo)

First and foremost, this is a piece about time, three years of time.  That’s 1068 days.

Q:  What kind of thread do you use?
A:   I use ordinary cotton embroidery floss.  One complete skein for each day all six strands at one time.  I closed my eyes when I chose the thread so that I would not select something to match the cloth.  I had to trust that the threads and the cloth would be OK.

It resembles a rag rug, and actually, I was inspired by the narrow Finnish rugs of my heritage, but it is hand stitched, not woven.

Q:  What is the difference between a couching stitch and a wrapping stitch?
A:  They are the same thing. 

Every day for three years I threaded my needle and attached the strips of cloth to the canvas with a wrapping stitch or couching stitch.  An extra benefit is that the wrapping gesture of this stitch is very meditative and healing to do.

Time is a beautiful whirl.  Time is both the subject and the main material in this piece.  Day after day, time rushes by no matter the family event or world crises.  Time is relentless, and we have to trust.  We have to go on.  It will be OK.

SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association) has many global exhibitions touring at this time.
And wow, there is a call for all Canadian SAQA members.  Click here to read the Call for Entry.