invisible mending and a sense of the hearth

I've been musing about invisible mending; the skill it takes to leave no trace.
And the extraordinary grit of one invisible mender I know; her vivid life.
Then I came across this 'web'site:

http:/www.ninakatchadourian.com/uninvitedcollaborations/spiderwebs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mended Spiderweb #14 (Spoon Patch)
Cibachrome, 20 x 30 inches, 1998

Nina Katchadourian

Using differently coloured thread is what textile conservators sometimes do, to differentiate their own interventions from the historic stitching. Personally I'm not surprised Arachne disposed of the red thread and left it in little piles under the trees.What an imposition!

Every rug I make brings a sense of hearth to my home that has no fireplace.
A sense of coming home, where thoughts are quickened by my hands'
complete distractedness. I'm braiding the edge of the rug now. It's off the frame
at last and I'm working with it on my lap. It's good to be holding it in my hands at last.
A final intimacy before it's relegated to the floor.