Kathrine Allen-Coleman

This series of work has come from a lifetime of influences. My maternal Grandmother, who was a pattern designer, taught me to embroider when I was a child. Pillowcases were adorned with running stitches, satin stitches, and cross stitches. This was all done under the auspices of building a “hope chest.” Somewhat like a dowry, it was a collection of household things I would need when I married.Meanwhile, my paternal Grandmother, (who taught me the lazy daisy stitch by the way,) was one of my family’s storytellers. I remember looking through her closet full of clothes she didn’t wear anymore and hearing about what event she wore what dress to. She just had to catch a glipse of a hem and she could weave a story about the night she wore that dress. The power of a piece of clothing to bring back such a flood of memories brings me to where I am.