I’ve come to the end of the Cloth in Common Round 2 and what better way to finish than to capture my last two days in the USA in 2019. I had heard a lot about the Grand Canyon and thought I hope it is as spectacular as it sounds? We went to the South Rim and took a Hummer Sunset tour. We drove in for miles through what looked like flat bush country then the driver turned and parked and said look behind you! WOW! you can’t describe that initial image as it took your breath away. Its difficult to comprehend how big the Canyon is and how deep. It is truly magnificent! As we listened to the guide you can only imagine what this place has seen through the years – a lot of happiness but a lot of sadness as well. There are so many stories.

Why did I decide to do a lot of hand stitching on this piece? Yes I enjoy it but also I have been really busy however the ridges just lent themselves to hand stitching! To capture the rocky terrain with layers of history built through the centuries I needed to be able to show the ridges and its the hand stitching that does this. I also needed to choose fabrics that reflected the terrain so I have used painted for the bottom, a gorgeous overdyed piece in the middle and a dyed and rusted piece at the top.

I was amazed at how green the Canyon looked in mid June which has surprised a lot of others who have been there. So to show the twinges of green I did this through the stitching with a green Wonderfil Razzle thread. I’ve quoted the thread as it has a beautiful reflective sheen to it that captures the light from afar. I’ve mixed the different colours of thread hoping that they reflect the layers of history seen by these rocks, pathways and rivers.

Machine pieced, hand dyed, rusted and painted fabrics. Wonderfil Razzle thread in several colours

40 inches x 26 inches