When I teach an embroidery class, I carry home a piece of fabric scattered with demo stitches. It’s usually a scrap or bolt remnant of a humble or mysterious substrate, an expendable bit that happened to be close at hand. Afterwards, I use them as a sketchbook of sorts, much like a historic spot sampler. Not intended for display, spot samplers were utilitarian pieces where makers could record new stitches, motifs, or ideas for future reference. I began this sketchbook in the spring of 2020, needing a way to keep my hands and mind busy.
Its warped tension, scribbles, and iron scorches hold the kinetic energy of my raw process and sometimes frantic attempt to reflect and digest unfolding events. Its free-association format allowed me to find clarity in an immediate way that was both therapeutic and educational, despite the frenetic pace of headlines. It gave me, a white woman, a way to serve as a witness to this particular moment rather than as an expert of any kind. I am finding a supporting role in
connecting and amplifying disparate historical and contemporary voices and events that illustrate the long and necessary struggle towards a newly equitable peace.