Jill Cooper Stitchery

I was trying to explain my use of nails today to a none arty friend so I thought I would try and explain it here while it’s fresh in my mind. While working with nails and fabric I’m fascinated by the brutal appearance of some of the pieces and it made me consider brutal as a term. Within plants, animals and people many have spikes and thorns designed to keep the item safe and protected. People are often described as spiky, thorny or sharp. I feel this is also a protection against harm to themselves. I’m not thinking of people who commit brutal acts against others but I always try to see the best in people and often wonder about the circumstances that lead people to act the way they do or prevent people from get closer to them. The textile part is the softer part of our nature that I believe everyone will have if we take time to discover it.  I’m not sure if this explanation will make sense to anyone but I’ve always been interested in the ‘human condition’ so hopefully by putting my...

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...

 I have recently returned to embroidery after an extended hiatus. I would like to document this journey as a way to discover what I am doing, how I can develop my work and keep a record of the process along the way. As part of a course with Debbie Lyddon I am rediscovering the pleasure I get from textiles and the simple act of stitching and creating. For the past few years I have been painting abstract landscapes and have also sold some and displayed a few in a couple of galleries. I enjoyed the learning but always felt a bit lost. Like there was something missing. I regularly stitch on a patchwork blanket with tiny running stitches at night but didn’t connect the calm I felt while doing it with stitch. Crazy lady!!! Anyway here are the tools and the process I have recently been going through.  We have a sweet box full of burnt rusted nails. We have a wood burner and my husband chops up old pallets. Very often the nails are embedded in the wood and when I clean out the grate I...