Jill Cooper Stitchery

This piece started out as an experiment with paper. The final piece after being rusted in the garden , painted with dirty paint water then fabric stiffener.  Another possibility is painting with plaster of Paris? It spent the night in the garden after being sprayed with vinegar and left in the rain. I expected more colour, perhaps it wasn’t left there long enough. I quite like the heads of the pins showing through. Perhaps something to consider for future reference  I’m considering creating a pot for a cactus plant. For ease of handling I will add less nails but could add wire and see how that rusts.   

First though this bag or pocket. I dyed it in earl grey tea and it’s darker than I expected. It’s also been waxed then some removed with the iron after protecting the iron with brown paper and an old towel. I just love seeing the different colours and types of nails in a pile like this. Perhaps it can be stitched together to make a little pile or woven into some fabric. So many ideas! For now this is what I’m working on. It’s currently 38 inches long by 15 inches with the nails in. Rather than the defined folds of the pocket these are just stitched with blanket stitch on each side creating a softer look.  I feel drawn to this work with nails, I’ve been collecting them for over 20 years just because I like the rusted effect on them. They’re not uniform changes, although there is a unity to them. They’re sharp with twists in them or extra little pieces sticking out to ensure they hold onto the wood. When pulling them out of the fabric they often catch much like an arrow would catch i...