Saturday, January 31, 2026

The Cloth Whisperer

 As found on Mira Gupta's Facebook page...

"The Cloth Whisperer," Jude Hill creates Spirit Cloths using a philosophy rooted in storytelling and the inherent nature of fabric.

Her journey began with domestic sewing taught by her mother and grandmother, eventually evolving into a creative practice during a long commute where she completed her first queen-sized quilt entirely by hand.

Hill describes herself as an alternative quilter and folk artist who rejects modern synthetic additives, or "gunk," that she feels interferes with the cloth’s integrity. Instead, she prioritizes recycling and repurposing old textiles, noting that aged fabric is softer and more receptive to hand stitching. Her process, which she calls "thought catching" and "what-iffing," treats each piece as a metaphorical sampler of life’s journey, blending layers and mending techniques to explore the relationship between sewing and weaving.

My favorite of her works. How many critters do you see in these?




Her work reminds me of "Slow Stitching" which  a friend is enjoying.







My  second favorite!

Sharing with Saturday’s Critters 


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Tomorrow is Imbolc, or Bridgid's Day.

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The other night I had an interesting phone call from my oldest grandson. He wanted to know if I was interested in attending his wedding on a cruise in 2027. I had to decline, thinking of two things, my health and the cost. I wished them a really happy time, since they do take cruises regularly (yearly at least) and both are working full time from their recently purchased home. It's nice to think of their future and what a different life style they have, though we are still FaceBook friends and share a bit of our lives there.

I'm not taking part in all the walk outs and vigils this week, so won't be posting about them this time. I'm so glad that people are doing what they need to do!



22 comments:

  1. Good morning. The cloths are quite lovely. I guess it’s too bad that you will miss the cruise although they don’t really appeal to me.

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    1. I've never been on a cruise and actually would have trouble being with all those people and in a place with no escape in case of emergency. No thanks.

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  2. ...Barbara, thanks for this wonderful post, the fabrics are beautiful. This reminded me of a exhibition that we saw in Maui, you might enjoy it too.

    https://backroadstraveller.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-way-of-natural-textiles.html

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    1. Hi Tom, I'll definitely look at your post. I'm always interested in art...and fiber art seems especially well done by women, though not always!

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    2. Akihiko Izukura's works are really beautiful. Thanks for the photos of them.

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  3. Lovely embroidery. People are so talented.

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    1. OK, another lost comment reply. Wonder what I said an hour ago! This work is more relaxed and "folksy" than what I would have once been attracted to.

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  4. Hello Barb,
    I just love all the fiber art and critters. I am amazed at the walk for peace!
    Mary Oliver's poems are favorites of mine. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thanks so much for leaving me a comment.

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    1. Somewhere between 5 and 13 critters, I count. I lose track each time somehow. Thanks for hosting Saturday's Critters...it's always fun to scan through so many different kinds!

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  5. I cannot tell you how much I love those cloth-whispered works of art. Like the lady sculptures, these too bring with them a sense of their own presence.

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    1. Aren’t they lovely! So glad you like them - they remind me a bitofyou patch you created!

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    1. Me too! The folk-art quality really speaks to me!

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  7. Wow! ~ The fiber arts are divine ~ awesome ~ beyond words ~ Mary Oliver is a favorite of mine also ~ thanks
    an artist reflects

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    1. Art is such a great wide way of sharing ideas…and crafts are mingling right in there now!

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  8. Wonderful work. I thought that my art medium was going to be textiles, taught myself to sew when I was none, made many of my own clothes, took a textile design class in art school but then four and a half years of life happened and I stumbled on glass and that was it. Now having retired from the glass arts with a tub of fabric scraps from teaching my three grandgirls to sew when they were younger I'm thinking more about what I can do with those.

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    1. What an interesting change from soft to brittle – but with such great colors in each medium. I can’t wait to see what you come up with creatively next!

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  9. As you know, I love textiles, creating, stitching, admiring. Thank you for bringing this lovely stitching to us

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    1. I always enjoy your posts with fiber arts. Somehow, Facebook Hasfound that I like it too!

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  10. Jude Hill's work is interesting..and inspiring.

    and still they walk in peace for peace.

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    1. Glad you found it Inspirational! Since we’re having a blizzard right now, I hope The walk for peace has Paused for shelter!

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  11. The detail in those Spirit Cloths is just incredible. I see so many little critters hidden in the layers!

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There is today, more than ever, the need for a compassionate regenerative world civilization.