Mostly, I stitch
Onto old materials
Or bring old fabrics together
Or visible mending, as in this case, a bee fly stitched over a moth hole on an antique French children’s woollen jacket

As I drove down to the Craft Festival last year, I caught Ronnie Archer-Morgan talking on Saturday live. I loved what he said about WHY old things talk to us, carry so much resonance
He said: that an antique

“…carries a story…sometimes you can feel the story in it…feel the energy of the object drawing to me to it…full of energy”

Richard Cole’s stated that they are ‘Silent witnesses to history’.
Yes! That’s it exactly.

When I got this jacket, and it’s companion, it resonated. I wept.
About what has happened - to:
France before the Second World War,
during the war,
the child that wore this jacket, wore it out, wore it so much that the colour was bleached from it.
I thought about the wars that happened since
Those that are happening now…
What does ‘Lest we forget’ mean?

It’s such a beautiful jacket and I believe the mending I did is beautiful too.
So much so that it’s been on my wall these last two years.
But it’s time for it to find a new home so that I have space for new work.

This is framed in a bespoke, frame, professionally made with non-reflective glass.
It measures 65cm x 67cm.
Available for delivery to countries outside of the U.K. but will need to establish costs.

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