Soulful Stitch

Book excerpt: A thoughtful, meditative guide to the ways creative textile art can soothe and comfort us during challenging times. Renowned British textile artists Cas Holmes and Deena Beverley, each well known for their richly textured, deeply evocative work in stitch, collaborate for the first time in this important and timely book. Beautifully illustrated with a wealth of work from both artists along with other embroiderers and textile artists from around the world, Soulful Stitch documents a wide range of stitched responses to crisis, both personal and global. With invaluable advice on how to develop your own work in times of trouble, it explores: • How the restrictions and trials of everyday life can inform your textile work, enabling you to develop imaginative new approaches. • The healing power of stitch to soothe and console, with the simple act of putting needle into fabric providing a mindful route to inner calm. • Practical ways to continue with your textile art practice in the face of seismic life changes, finding creative opportunity in difficult situations. • How to use found objects, repurposed threads and personal items to create deep emotional resonance in your own work. Both authors have recent lived experience of having to navigate new paths through big life challenges, making this book particularly heartfelt. It truly demonstrates how even in the toughest times, creativity in textile art can keep you afloat.