Nicola Twynham
Experiencing Covid in March 2020 was scary. It was new and we had limited knowledge. My anxiety was high. My energy was zapped and I could hardly move my eyes without a intense bruised feeling. I found some thread and a scrap of fabric and managed to stitch a patch based on what I was experiencing to help me remember what it was like. During the first lockdown I was unable to use the studio that I have in the Byram Arcade, Huddersfield and did not have access to the majority of my materials and tools.
My Covid Patch
I needed to create something that felt happy and positive. This was a free pattern from the DMC website that I couldn't resist!
I loved the bohemian feel to the design and the simplicity of the colours. It made my soul happy.
I spent some time learning how to visibly mend clothes through the lockdown. This was a patch repairing a small hole in one of my husbands T-shirts and I really love the blod, graphic feel to it.
It was a relative's 30th birthday and I wanted to stitch something meaningful and cheerful for them, especially during such tough times. I created a design combining lots of elements that represented them.
traced the design on to the fabric using a heat pen (that dissapears when it is ironed after completion).
And used some Derwent Inktense pencils to add a watercolour look splashes of colour as well as handstitch to reinforce the design. I used back stitch, split stitch, cross stitch and satin stitch. It was such a joy to make.
Nicola Twynham
It took a long time to get my energy back after Covid and I couldn’t do much for a while. Unfortunately, I went on to have other health complications and have had two surgeries during the lockdowns, with more in the pipeline. It was scary being in hosital alone without any visitors and isolating as the staff were mainly hidden (rightly so) behind the PPE. I had to put my Masters degree on hold just as I was starting my thesis, and it was pretty gutting. One thing that got me through was using social media to see just how much creativity was being created and shared as part of our everyday lived experience to help us respond to the situations that we found ourselves in. I really wanted to celebrate this. A big part of my motivation in my work has always been to understand creativity beyond the dominant commercial values of Art and see it as an unseperable part of each of ours lived experience. For me, this is where we find value in creativity.
I was in bed a lot after surgeries and I had to adapt to doing smaller things rather than big textile projects/pieces and it is a pleasure to include some of these. I went back to my starting point with cross stitch and really enjoyed mending clothes. I think my thoughts have been echoed throughout this exibition, as I write that it felt like I was mending myself as I mended clothes and gave them new life.
To be able to create a meaningful piece for someone I care about after such a rough few months felt really special and allowed me to try out some new techniques like using the inktense pencils - which I highly recommend!
