How the work begins,
and where it ends.
Storyteller. Researcher. Stitcher.
Berkeley, California. The work begins in the archives and ends in words or in thread — sometimes both!
Four written narratives, six hand-stitched pieces, and a growing body of work that increasingly combines text and stitching.
Where the work begins.
My investigations are driven by curiosity about the stories that connect people and places, especially from past eras. I began by investigating my ancestors but have discovered that my fascination is much broader than that.
I love figuring out how lives relate to each other, and to the larger social and historical context in which they fit, and then sharing the resultant story that emerges.
Recently, I have branched out to also use my stitching to tell personal stories — such as about my childhood yard and my quilt self portrait. In these cases the sources are in memory.
Where I look.
My sources include census records, maps, historic newspapers, yearbooks, family history programs, and other publicly available data and original records available online or through local, city, county, and state archives.
I read books and articles and explore sources written by others with a passion for uncovering stories from the past.
Where I learned.
My stitching is largely self-taught though I enjoy a good workshop or how-to book. It is inspired by the ways that embroidery and tapestry have been used to record histories and tell stories for centuries — works like the amazing Bayeux Tapestry and the Great Scottish Tapestry, but also the many smaller, "un-famous" pieces one runs across.
In coming to understand how to use stitching to tell stories, I have learned from a few: