Criminal embroidery

 14th nov 2020 - work  begins on a new project today*1 - this post will be used as an ongoing record and updated as the project moves along

it starts with an online workshop led by Ruth Singer, a textile artist who's work often reflects on and honours hidden lives - the focus of the workshop is images of women featured in Criminal Quilts, an ongoing body of work Ruth has been developing sine  she was invited to create a commissioned work for Staffordshire Shire Hall

the image i have is of Caroline Pulley 

i started work before the workshop with a traced sketch of Caroline, just face and outline of main features - a course earlier this year with Sue Stone had given me the confidence to try this approach 

after tracing it onto calico i have stitched the face and hands and this will be my starting point for the workshop

we were supposed to be working with a limited palette ...... but i was inspired by what Ruth said about putting some colour and texture back into the images - and  i felt that Caroline might have enjoyed a bit of flamboyance - so my palette for this first image is "rainbow"

when stitching in the outline i had spotted a wedding ring (or some sort of ring) so i stitched that in very fine gold thread - if Caroline had worn this at the time she was imprisoned it must have meant a lot to her, so i felt it worth highlighting

by the end of the day i have really started to splash out on colour and now look forward to completing her clothing before i shift my attention to her background 

comparing the original tracing to the stitched version i feel Caroline looks sadder and less deffiant, but i can't really change that - i hope she would have enjoyed the colours i have chosen for her 

*1 actually this project sarted for me several years ago when i first came across Ruth's work in Staffordshire Shire Hall and subsequently at the National  Centre for Craft and Design - these prompted an ongoing interest in Ruth's work and approach

15th Nov 2020 - added the other half of the shawl and spent ages couching thick linen thread for Caroline's hair - i could have cheated with a colour wash but she seems to have such abundant shiny hair that i wanted to do it justice and make an effort to reproduce the effect of what may have been her crowning glory - how anyone's hair could look that good after months in a victorian prison is beyond me

i was not convinced about the glitzy belt, so it's under review

i am beginning to think about the background - the figure is positive and colourful as a contrast to the image presented in the criminal records, so i want to reflect the influences which might have brought Caroline to this point

i feel i am moving towards a series like the three dreams Scrooge had in a Christmas Carol, with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future......? 

16th Nov - adding detail to jacket and around neck

i have also been playing with some additional elements to reflect some of the factors influencing Caroline's life, but feel these would more appropriate with a different image - this one is about a life which could have been

i might use this approach on this group showing Caroline in different years, from 1879-85

17th Nov - having gone completely off the brief i have thoroughly enjoyed stitching Caroline as she might have been if she had had different opportunities

this is not my usual comfort zone as i tend to use bright colours sparingly, feeling more comfortable in the palettes Ruth suggested in the brief - but this Caroline was asking for colour and texture in her life

i am rather pleased with the white silk colonial knots which are my attempt to create a frothy lace effect - something Caroline could only have dreamt of (although she may not have been a frilly frothy type.....i am making so many assumptions here!)

i am still thinking about the background - not sure whether to keep it simple or add some of the other things she might have aspired to or influence which could have helped towards a softer life

meanwhile i will be starting another Caroline now that i have got the colour out of my system - i'll be going back to the original themes and events