I see the world in layers; layers of colour, light and shade, meaning and emotion. In fabric and stitch there is a singular potential to layer, to combine texture and colour, thickness, depth both physically and metaphorically. As my hands work, my thoughts wander through the layers of my perception, experience and emotion. The process is slow. Each layer brings something new, sometimes a clarification and sometimes a serendipitous surprise. I twist and scrunch up fabrics of various types and thicknesses. I cut, tear, and apply them in layers with freehand machine embroidery to create depth. I use paint sparingly for colour before and after embroidering. The medium becomes ambiguous. As lockdown eased, simple actions glimpsed were redolent of meaning, the very fabric of our existence. Here children, unseen for months, running through fields of high grass to greet me. Racing clouds and wind towards an embrace. Layers of tenderness, longing, anticipation and hope for a better future, expressed in the pattern, texture and colours of silks and rayon.