Project 5: Site Specific
A Stitch in Time

A Stitch in Time is a project that focuses predominantly on notions of heritage, family history, and heirlooms. At the basis of this work is craft and quilting. I was determined to repair a quilt that was falling apart at the seams, having been constructed in either the 1960’s or 1970’s. This quilt was given as a trade for chiropractic services to a close friend of my parents, by a woman from a town nearby. Here is the story: my parents had visited their chiropractor friend's cottage (which eventually they purchased) in North Harbour, Newfoundland. My mother noticed the quilt on the floor and was devastated to see such a beautiful handmade item being used as a rug in a place which received such little traffic. This led her to the decision to take the quilt off of the floor, wash it, and take it home. My mother kept this quilt in our family house throughout my entire childhood and I admired it every day. When I left to move to Montreal approximately 13 years ago, I begged her to take the quilt with me. She eventually obliged; it has been with me ever since.

This work is site specific in several ways but mainly in that the quilt becomes the site. My home is second in line for the "site" of this particular work.

The quilt smoothed and laid flat before repair ---->

Up close detail of all the patches missing
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ROUGH edges
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Up close detail of all the patches missing
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In order to repair the quilt, I needed to cut all the edges off with a rotary cutter. This allowed me to take the layers of the quilt apart.
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THE ULTIMATE REVEAL: Inner anatomy of the quilt!!
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NOW: observe all of the holes and broken stitching on the front layer of the quilt!

Here, after stitching the holes in the backing material, I am making patterns for the missing patches with sheets of paper
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Process of cutting/washing/ironing fabric. After this I coated the fabric in chemicals to expose for cyanotype
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Images of my negatives for creating the cyanotype patches
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THE FINAL WORK!!!

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Notice: Cyanotype "meta" fabric pattern patches!