Turncloth, flipside

It is a truth universally acknowledged that anyone who has ever embroidered cannot resist turning over a piece of embroidery to see the back.

What are we looking for? (Answers on a postcard, please...)

Junko Oki (image from here)

Blue Tapestry by Stephen McClymont (image from here)

Inge Jacobsen's site shows images of the back of her thread work

Elly au Verso, by Cayce Zavaglia

The "back of the work" interests me because of its possibilities in the book format -

my double-sided stitching in books

When we turn the page of a (story) book, we expect a continuation of the narrative. When we turn the page of an "artists" book, anything could happen. We are having to construct our own story from the book, and each previous page-episode needs revision in the light of what has now come to light. Yet the back of the embroidery, its underside (and all that might mean...) is intimately linked with its "right" side. So there can be a three-way dialogue - recto, verso, reader - not to forget the role of the author...

In Christine Pereira-Adams' stitched book, the river Tigris gradually changes colour as the pages are turned - watch the video here -

"The Reading" by Christine Pereira-Adams

Another book with stitching is on Karen Rips' blog, fiberartmusings - as she says, there's lots of inspiration out there in blogland for this kind of project.