Today I’m calling it finished.
Fragments of antique cotton, silk, and lace, hand-stitched to tea-dyed vintage linen and cotton.
It only named itself this afternoon. The past is always present. We carry it with us wherever we go. I guess that’s what memory is.
And these fragments from the past are still present too. Clothing and accessories made by hands long dead and yet still here. Their voices still speak to us, and the sheer beauty of their work still moves us.
The fragment of MJ’s monogrammed chemise became a pocket for some vintage needles.
New stitches on old cloth, layering new memories over old ones
It hangs from some tea-dyed silk ribbon, which may or may not be strong enough – the cloth is heavier than it looks.
A short view of the other side:
There are lots of frayed and ragged edges. Time made visible. The marks made by a quilter’s needle are still visible in this fragile cotton:
It’s like making time stand still.
I got out my vest embellished with antique doilies yesterday and admired again the wonderful work. Hand sewing the doilies to the vest was a joyful journey–full of admiration for handwork of the past
What joy 🙂 It really gives you a deep sense of connection doesn’t it?
This is so lovely, what a wonderful way to keep the memory of the past!
Thank you, yes this feels full of memory. Full of life too.
Beautiful 🤍
Thank you 😊
This is so beautiful. Very calming too. A beautiful way of honouring the past and the present with something that will last into the future.
Thanks so much, yes it was very calming to work on. Like having a conversation with the distant past.
So beautiful. Thank you for sharing all the lovely details.
Thank you 😊
So evocative and gorgeously put together. Thank you for sharing this!
Extraordinary!
This is so lovely and you have given me many ideas for doing a similar thing with all the laces & silk yarns that I get out of an old cardboard box belonging to my Grandmother. Normally they get put back where they came from but now I can at last see a way of using them, including the box! Thank you!
Excellent! These kinds of treasure are fragile but they have a surprising strength too when supported by fabrics and stitch.
Absolutely exquisite! So many “small” stories collected to tell a new story.
Exactly 🙂 a short story collection.
Your words are as lovely as the stitches
How lovely, thank you 😊
A beautiful treasure.
Some of the original hand embroidery takes your breath away, it’s astonishing.
Exquisite. Thank you for the close up photos—just right for appreciating the intricacies of your artwork. Perfect for Women’s History Month.❣️
Thank you 🙂 Yes, exactly – so much history here
Beautiful!!! Such a great idea for those scraps of history…thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much, Mary. I’ve really enjoyed bringing these scraps and pockets of time together.
That is lovely – making a wonderful whole of fragments too small and frail to stand alone.
And therein is a valuable life lesson I think ❤️