Redwork

The Redwork Series documents sometimes mundane details of my life as a parent. Combined with crying children, lack of sleep, relationship changes, and other external stressors, early parenthood becomes a sort of flawed madness which I work to capture in this series. Each piece incorporates traditional stitching techniques, invented needlework techniques, and data drawn from my daily life as a parent.

Redwork embroidery is quite literally red work; all the floss is red. It is a traditional European style generally used for very domestic needlework — hand towels, aprons, tablecloths — stitched with red floss on white or natural fabric. Historically embroidery was a hobby of the upper classes until a colorfast red dye allowed the middle classes to take it up.

I stitch in redwork because it is recognized as a domestic and middle-class style, which reflects my life as a parent. I also stitch each piece both front-wards and backwards, since the skill of a stitcher is traditionally judged by examining the back of their work.

Interested in a piece from this series or a commission? info@margarettimbrell.com