✦ Apotropaic

Description

This tea cloth is made from a cotton dish towel taken from a vintage household trousseau. Light and soft, the fabric bears the marks of time: a lived-in surface, slightly worn, that speaks of patient gestures, care, and domestic continuity.

Hand embroidery depicts a Gorgonocephalus starfish. An enigmatic deep-sea creature recognizable by its many thin, sinuous arms radiating from the center like a nervous system or an organic map. As a symbol, the Gorgon represents adaptation, regeneration, and distributed intelligence: a body with no single center of command, but multiple possible directions, capable of regrowing, transforming, and enduring.

Using natural cotton thread, the stitching follows a fluid, meditative rhythm, tracing a continuous movement that seems to spread across the fabric like a slow breath. In doing so, the embroidery gently puckers the cotton, transforming it into a living, tactile surface where the handmade gesture enters into dialogue with the marine form and with ideas of depth, silence, and attentive listening.

Designed to accompany moments of pause and inward focus, this tea mat is ideal for a tea ritual, a slow breakfast, or simply placed on a lamp or a cushion. A daily object that invites slowing down and reconnecting with a deeper, non-linear sense of time.

The Nest Geographies series continues its exploration of autobiographical textiles. One-of-a-kind pieces that weave together memory, nature, and gesture, transforming reclaimed materials into poetic yet functional presences. Each tea mat is unique, hand embroidered on vintage linen, and acts as a quiet keeper of stories.

Materials are selected with care, favoring natural fibers and reclaimed textiles, in a spirit of respect and sustainability.
For care, gentle machine washing at 40°C (104°F) is recommended, using natural detergent and no fabric softener. Air dry and iron on the reverse side with a cotton cloth to protect the embroidery.

Discover more works from the Nest Geographies series.

For inquiries, additional images, international purchases, personalized pieces, or in-person pickup (–30€), contact me on Whatsapp