Sample

The title of this textile refers both to the idea of a rock sample and also to the notion of a textile 'sampler'. The rock sample suggests the layers of magnesian limestone and the different formations within the layers - including smooth rock, loose stones, fossils, clay, concretions and tufa. The sampler is a textile piece that displays a range of embroidery techniques and stitches - which in this case correspond with the composition of the limestone sample. The piece was worked without a preordained plan but used recycled fabrics, hand-coloured papers and scraps, including discarded paper from below the limestone cliffs at Seaham Hall, and stitched according to my 'feeling' for magnesian limestone.