Inner Workings.

Early April, Puddle, Cornwall. Stitching rainbows at the Jeanie&Me studio.

I don’t know exactly why, but this week I wanted to stitch rainbows. Denim the colour of clearing skies after heavy rain. Gently fading dark to pale. It’s a consuming method; once chalked, the lines of rainbow will take me several hours to complete. Threads must be changed frequently. Each row is actually a pair of threads, blending the colours with more lustre and depth. I don’t chalk out every line, every 7th. The rest are sewn by eye, resulting in an organic, carefree imperfection. No line should be missed however and there is an order and a right way up and there are dozens of individual pieces to ‘rainbow’. I like that, ‘to rainbow’- as a verb. Could be an expression of hope, of triumph over disaster, of fleeting joy, or infinite wonder. Or of reason; the ability to explain the seemingly unfathomable; to rainbow.

I get lost in the rainbows and I enjoy it. Don’t think of much else the whole time. An escape. They are charmingly whimsical pieces. Undeniably jolly. The only bags I will put the little watch pockets on to. It seems fitting, a tiny pocket for the tiny treasures at the end of the rainbow. Hidden on the reverse as a secret surprise.

I love the inner workings, become quite obsessed by them throughout the make. A messy mix of seams, thread ends and colours. Knotty, disheveled, unruly. Quite unlike the finished outside which is ordered and clean. I actually get a bit disappointed that those inner workings will be hidden away once the bag is turned right way out. Sad to see them go, just one more photo… All the colourful loopy ends tucked smartly inside the seams. That’s the joy of the maker, to know the inner workings, to know the process and the time and the thought inside each piece, and to share it, as best I can, with those who care to ask.

And there’s always, always, one thread (at least) which escapes through a seam to the outside, in defiance of being hidden away!