Interference Patterns

This is an embroidery project that documents the interruptions of motherhood. I was getting frustrated with trying to find space and time to focus on making things alongside becoming a mother. So I decided to start a project that is about those interruptions. The rules are simple: I start embroidering a square in a geometric blackwork pattern, building up from simple dashes to a more complex web of stitches. As soon as my baby interrupts me, I have to stop working on the square. The next time I have a chance to embroider, I have to start filling a new square from scratch. Over time the grid should fill, as a visual record of two ‘waves’ colliding, me and my daughter. Her interference will generate the pattern, turning the interruptions of motherhood into something productive.

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'Interference Pattern I' was completed in March 2024.

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'Interference Pattern II' was embroidered on a muslin square that was previously used as a nappy for my daughter. The fabric features a readymade grid pattern. The final square of 'Interference Pattern II' was embroidered on my daughter's first birthday, which felt like a natural conclusion to the project.