The eleventh piece of my 2019 daily stitch journal — for which I stitched each day using colors observed in my backyard in western Massachusetts — captured the lush growth and bright colors of high summer. Begun on July 11 and completed on July 28, Daily Thread: Piece No. 11 (Verdant II), was the second of three pieces with the theme of “verdant” that I stitched during the project.
I employed green, red, violet, and yellow threads for the bee balm, Joe Pye weed, and Jerusalem Artichokes that spring up every summer at the eastern edge of the yard. I love this wild, untended “garden” not only for its beauty but because it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies in abundance.
Stitching — French knots and clustered straight stitches — began at the very center of the linen fabric, and radiated outward. My aim was to create a joyful, exuberant image that embodied July’s unbridled growth. As I did for each of the 18 pieces in Daily Thread, I stitched a bit of each day’s color onto a “stitch log” (see photo below). The stitch logs capture both the colors used and the passing of time and will be exhibited alongside the finished embroideries.
Coming up: My next post will be about the twelfth piece, which also took up the theme of “verdant.”
New work: While I’m furloughed from my day job due to COVID-19, I’m creating a series of Furlough Daily Embroideries. To learn more, follow me on Instagram or follow the hashtag #furloughdailyembroidery.
Exhibition news: Unfortunately, my exhibition scheduled for this month at Easthampton City Arts was canceled because the gallery is closed through the end of the year due to the coronavirus. The show will be rescheduled for sometime in 2021. If life is back to normal next spring, I will be showing the entire Daily Thread project in April 2021 at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library.
LINKS
About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram