After finishing my panel about my Granma, I started on Mums scroll, I have fond memories of her helping me with my textile work back in the 1990s, when I started constructing hangings of various sizes out of mini cushions. I was working full time with two young children and I used to machine the cushions myself, then hand them over to Mum to turn and stuff, before I hand stitched them closed, as her hand stitching wasn’t the neatest She even used to take stuffing and bundles of them on holiday to do, whilst relaxing and watching the sea.
She was also a fanatical marmalade maker, when Seville oranges were in season in the new year, we all got enlisted to help with the production process including Granma and myself, She made multiple batches for the family, friends, neighbours and to sell for the local church in a lovely old brass pan, we were sick of the smell of oranges bubbling away by the end.
I then decided to attempt to construct a mockup of the piece, which proved far harder than I’d imagined, on my hands due to my arthritis. I’d ordered a huge piece if industrial, synthetic felt to support the panels but it was very difficult to stitch through and I questioned myself about the original format.
After a lot or journaling and reflecting, I realised that this format didn’t convey my emotions about my ancestral family treasures and memories, it was too rigid and bold to represent my feeling of love, closeness, tactility and intimacy. So I took it off the felt and considered a better way to display my work, I also decided to limit the piece to just memories of Granma and Mum. X
To be continued………
Anne Armes Art 