good reads (on making)

slow, quiet note no. 82

It’s end of term here in the UK. School is out. The high streets are full of post-exam teenagers and the parks are full of picnic blankets, folding chairs and three for two deli snack wrappers. The collective OOO is ON.

And for me that meant putting the workshop threads, fabrics and notions away for a couple of weeks and packing for a trip to the seaside.

The yo-yo kit and a tiny, nearly finished landscape found their way into the car for the jaunt to Brighton (Hove, actually) but, apart from a few junctions’ worth of motorway stitching, I didn’t thread my needle until we got home.

Instead, I read a lot and mooched a fair bit. I took myself to the prom and sat on a bench with a weirdly watery flat white. I scowled at seagulls and I read a bit more. I wandered in and out of stationery shops, had some excellent coffee in the library and did some writing.

We took the bus to see Odyssey (the joys of town/city public transport) and I managed to stay awake while Matt Damon sat around in a sheet and chatted on the beach for longer than was necessary (I thought) with Charlize Theron.

As I’ve been reading more than stitching this week I thought I would share a few books that I’ve enjoyed over the last couple of years (including two very recent reads).

These are mostly slim volumes, published by artists themselves or by smaller, independent presses. If your interest is piqued and you’d like to know more, I’d encourage you to seek out the authors and publishers via your social media channel of choice.

Softness - A meditation on knitting by Jean Oberlander (Common Threads Press)

A brief but beautiful twenty one pages of ‘poetic reflection on hand-knitting and the neglected objects that give us nourishment’. Small, perfectly formed and hand-stitched.

Material Evidence by Eleanor Burkett & Kathy Baker

I attended one of Eleanor’s paper-making courses at Morley College a couple of years ago and loved the idea of the construction of a quilt documenting the two sides of a town’s social history. If you have ever inherited, thrifted or been given an incomplete hexagon quilt, you will know about the fascination that comes with investigating any left-over paper templates.

Playful Details by Jessica Grady

I have a growing collection of self-published books, zines and booklets by artists and makers sharing examples of their work and processes in print. I love Jessica Grady’s exuberant use of colour and, in particular, how she couches and appliqués re-purposed materials and objects to make vibrant pieces, full of energy and movement.

‘Stitchionary’ by Jennifer Collier

I missed the first print run but I couldn’t resist snapping up a copy of Jennifer Collier’s stitch guide a few months ago. Another artist whose work I admire from afar and would like to see in person some day.

‘Bound’ by Maddie Ballard (The Emma Press)

I was very pleased to find my copy of this book to re-read last week and (also) that its cover was echoed in the quilt top I pieced together last weekend. This part-life/part-making year long diary is poignant and heartwarming. Here’s a recent podcast episode where Maddie is interviewed which I’m looking forward to listening to after sending out today’s slow, quiet note.

‘Opening Night’ by Sara Baume (Granta)

I have been a fan of Sara Baume ever since reading Handiwork a couple of years ago and was keen to get my hands on a copy of ‘Opening Night’ for last week’s trip. Baume ‘charts the contours of a friendship and explores ideas about community and nationality, about neurosis and mysticism, about love and pain, and the beauty of art’. I find myself wanting to re-read it already, not least to savour the illustrations of Mollie Douthit’s paintings which accompany her friend’s careful, exacting words.

Books, of course, come in many shapes and formats and I leave you this week with one I found earlier.

I took myself to Threadsfest Swindon yesterday morning and alongside the exhibition, there were a group of makers and artisans selling their handmade textiles, drawings, garments and prints.

Amongst them was Lora Ricketts who was selling, amongst other things, tiny offcuts and samples of natural dyed fabrics. You can find Lora on Instagram and also on Youtube where she shares her interests in spinning, dyeing, stitching and weaving.

My attention landed on these small collections of fabrics as soon as I approached the stall and we talked about how they would be perfect to combine with some larger remnants I dyed at a workshop a very long time ago.

Now I have them on my desk and have flicked through their pages several times, I think I might just keep them as they are.

Thank you, as ever, for taking the time to read this week’s slow, quiet note. These slow Sunday posts are free to read but you could buy me a coffee if you’ve enjoyed reading today.

Alternatively. you can help me connect with other readers, writers, artists and makers by taking a little time to like, share or re-stack this post.

Have a great week.

Janice x