Catherine Hill, Lancashire Textile Artist
This collection of woven words captures the circular and repetitive patterns that we developed during the Lockdown years. Read the words and the memories will come flowing back. It is remarkable that at the time there were shouts of “No back to Normal” and whilst it was a genuine cry and desire we have to ask ourselves if we have managed to avoid going back to “normal”.
About Catherine
In her own words.
I’m a multi-award-winning textile artist with an interest in journaling domestic life in Lancashire during the 1970’s and capturing it in stitch – each is composed in my own words. My work combines cotton cloth and red thread – as a nod to Lancashire’s textile heritage and its red rose – to create unique hand embroidered surfaces full of text with each letter approximately 3mm in height.
Some people write memoirs or biographies – I make hand-stitched embroideries. Originally my art was created for my children as a medium to share my own childhood memories and has since evolved and expanded to collect and record aspects of my own daily life – this included life during the first UK lockdown which I felt needed documenting in some way.
The piece is about our shared experiences in March 2020. It was designed in late summer and stitched just before the November 2020 lockdown. As I was stitching it, I found myself doubting that some of these things had actually occurred – no planes in the sky and the loud sound of birdsong. We all lived through a joint experience in March that we’ll remember for years to come.
I’m honoured to have this piece included in Threads of Survival.
I’ve been invited to publish work in several publications; most recently in Embroidering the Everyday: Found Stitch Paint by Cas Holmes. My work has been exhibited globally including UK, New York, Germany, Switzerland and Australia.
