Stitch Improv :: Oak Leaves

I've started another 'stitch improv' piece. Or I guess you could call it a textile collage. I love making these. I love they can't be rushed. I have to find the right bits of fabric, the right embellishments and the right stitches. And I don't know when it will be finished until it is finished.

I've been wondering if maybe there's a wabi sabi element to these. I like to use bits of textile that are worn or a bit frayed around the edges. I cut the scraps by hand, not with a rotary cutter and ruler. I want the human hand to be visible.

The stitches are not uniform, I don't want 'perfection'. I don't know if I understand wabi sabi correctly, but that's sort of my interpretation of it...


The important thing is that at some point, all the element come together and create a whole that I couldn't imagine looking any differently, but I don't know exactly how it all came together.

One of my favourite things is where lots of stitching goes across multiple layers of fabric, as in those yellow stitches on the left. It creates the most amazing texture to run your hands over. :-)

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