My Backside Exposed

I thought I'd take a moment today to show you the backside of this original sampler.  First, the front:

These samplers are printed on a relatively thin white cotton (so are the new ones, with the exception of the pinks) and I like to back mine with another piece of fabric.  People often tell me it would be a good opportunity to use interfacing, but I disagree.  Firstly, I don't ever have interfacing at my house.  Secondly, I like the way another piece of fabric looks and drapes.  Thirdly, I have a feeling that whatever interfacing is made out of is not archival and I'd like to think my work will be around for awhile.   So,  I use another piece of fabric.    My friend Ursula uses silk organza (fancy!) but I tend to use whatever cotton is around.  I like to pick a piece that is beautiful since I'll be looking at it a lot while I'm tying knots back there.  For the first sampler, I used this vintage kids calico:

You can tell by looking that the back is not necessarily very neat.  It's the back!!!!  No one but me is looking back there!!!!  Well, except you are now, I suppose.    Some of you might have taken a home economics class in which you learned that embroidery is meant to look equally neat on front and back and not contain any knots.   I took a home economics class in which I learned how to make chocolate chip cookies and venison jerky (again, Michigan) so I've never been concerned much for the neatness of the back.  If you take a look at my website, you'll find that I am at times a reckless sewer.  Do I know how to make a french knot look perfect on the front?  Yes!   Do I care if there's at tangle on the back?  Not really.  In fact, often I like for there to be a tangle on the front.

I'm taking a little break from this blog until Saturday morning when I'll announce the winner of the cake sampler giveaway (there's still time to enter, see previous post).  The semester begins tomorrow at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I teach in the Fiber and Material Studies Dept.  So, until Labor Day weekend, take care.  Please excuse these dreary photographs, it's a rainy day here in Chicago.