Patch by Tricia
Patch
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Creator
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Tricia
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Story
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My patch has been inspired by the women who have helped me on this project. Though there are many more than I can name, some are: Jane D., who taught me how to dye with indigo; Ruth, who showed me how to wrap thread around the fabric to get the circular shapes and reassured me that there was no wrong way to do it; Julia, who coaxed me into putting the first stitch in the fabric and showed me how to sew a running stitch; Emma, whose instructions I followed on how to make a chain stitch; and all the ladies at Weave Wednesday, who shared their work with me and gave me confidence to continue.
The Honiton lace thistle that is appliqued on the patch was inspired by Margaret Oliphant, the subject of a chapter of the book this project is enabling me to finish, and her character, Rose Lake, a Honiton lace designer whose favourite motif is the thistle. In her Autobiography, Oliphant wrote, “I acknowledge frankly that there is nothing in me – a fat, little, commonplace woman, rather tongue-tied—to impress anyone; and yet there is a sort of whimsical injury in it which makes me sorry for myself.” This is a sentiment that has often guided me on this project. I see in this statement a woman who considers herself and her work ordinary and commonplace because she writes popular stories of women’s lives and domestic life. She does not see herself as a literary genius, and she would not claim to be an artist, but she also recognises this as the injustice of a culture that does not value women’s work, women’s stories, and women’s lives as it should. This project has sought to highlight that work and those stories, and the response from the contributors has been astonishing to me, and I hope to everyone who views the patchwork project object.
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Rights Holder
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Tricia
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Rights
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All rights reserved.
