kindred.

John Hughes

Big Poppa

How did it take me so long to discover artist Allison Manch- I think we would get on swimmingly if we met. A kindred spirit in both her humor and hurt in embroidering lovely words on vintage linens. I simply love, love, love them.

my bloody valentine

and the dyeing of sweet white linens a milky faded black transforms them in a wonderful way.

My grandfather was a photographer, my grandmother was a lacemaker

Much of her work seems not only inspired by media but memory both personal memory, like the above piece, and collective memory, mostly based in song or music.

Crystal Gayle

Allision's words ring very true in my heart too. She states:

My work features thematic illustrations of love and personal history via hand-embroidered drawings and text. The imperfection and vulnerability of the embroidered linen resembles the fragility of human emotion, while the medium harks back to a seemingly distant past. Threading a sense of humor throughout, drawings and text are stitched onto handkerchiefs, tea towels, and tablecloths that are often adorned with preexisting machine-embroidered imagery.

My aesthetic derives from a long-standing personal experience with the medium. My mother taught me embroidery as a child and my grandmother was a skilled lace-maker. This body of work started when I began crudely embroidering personal narratives and music lyrics onto cotton handkerchiefs inherited from my grandmother. While the work is not directly diaristic, the pieces are highly personal in their concept and execution. I draw from song lyrics, family photos, and figures from popular culture stitching imaginary lines to meaningful events in my life.

so true, so true.The above piece reminds me of my sampler, as I can imagine how long this work took! But it turned out so lovely and worth it.


Her super simple straightforward way of installing the work has my own mind thinking about my forms of display. I am quite drawn to how she simply treats the work like drawings. Simple and sweet and powerful.

Hurts so good

Her words "The imperfection and vulnerability of the embroidered linen resembles the fragility of human emotion, while the medium harks back to a seemingly distant past" could not more perfectly express how I myself feel toward my medium and choice of process and materials. I now feel less tired and more inspired.

get inspired yourself at her website.