GENERAL EMBROIDERY, HANGING

'Be a Good Girl and Look After Your Little Brother’, made by WA artist Julia Sutton, is based on Fairbridge Farm, a significant part of WA history. Poignantly it depicts child migrants, Julia’s relatives, from Great Britain who resided at the farm. The hanging consists of four strips of botanical dyed cotton stitched onto a net backing. There is hand stitching and machine embroidery on the panels, pink and white daisies and ‘1939’. Two figures, a boy and a girl with two suitcases, are constructed from woollen blankets – appliqued. There is a prayer written on fabric, attached to the back of the hanging. The Fairbridge School Prayer Oh God by the inspiration of you servant Kingsley Fairbridge did so wonderfully make this School and did set us here to learn and do his will. Teach us to live together in Love, Joy and Peace. To check all bitterness and disown discouragement. To practise thanksgiving and to leap for joy to any task for others. Strengthen the good thing thus begun that with gallant and high hearted happiness we may strive to build according to thy will. Direct that paths of those who have gone forth from this place. Inspire the hearts and minds of those in authority and fill us with love toward thee. To your honour and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Eileen V. Nottle Vince McFagan Nee McFagan
From Julia Sutton:
My art piece ‘Be a good girl and look after your brother’. These were the last words my Mum heard her father say. My Mum was eight and my Uncle five when their Mum suddenly died and their father decided to send them away and forget about them. They were sent to Fairbridge Farm in Western Australia through a child migrant scheme, to populate the colonies.
This artwork uses upcycled fabrics with a previous life. Fabric hold smany memories so brings many layers of history to my artworks. Although unseen the notion of fabric that has clothed or bedding that ha comforted a person brings me an overwhelming warmth of family relationships. The slow making and rhythmic stitching of this artwork created a space for me to think about the tough life these children endured when they came to Australia this way. Through thick and thin these two children grew up to be very happy people that loved life.