the Lirian dress

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just finished this epic leaf dress…
& it feels like a lil piece of my soul is mended :)
this piece was started about 9 years?! ago

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it went through many dyebaths.. got started & stopped
& stitched & forgotten over and over again..
many times I just didn’t know where to go with it
and didn’t want to mess it up. untitled-1-3

 there are quite a few pieces like this in my studio,
but this one became weirdly symbolic.. & mad!
it would glare at me every time it surfaced,
berating me silently for letting it sit in stasis
when it obviously was such an incredible gem.

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 the last time I picked it up was about 6 months ago,
and I worked almost to completion, then cast it aside again!
this last week I felt so determined to finish it,
spent many hours stitching and having staring contests..
and am grateful to announce that it is
now complete and available for adoption!

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this is a bit of a bridge for me.. I have felt conflicted lately,
as I’m ready to move forward in some ways and make
different things, less complicated things. yet there are so
many pieces from the past hanging out and haunting me
to be finished. this dress being finished feels like a milestone
which gives me permission to move forward, for some reason.

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working on things from the past is so intense!
I have definitely never been doing this in some clever,
time considerate way.. when I look back at these pieces
with a clearer mind, they actually seem like giant puzzles
in which I’ve been working out my problems, frustrations, blocks.
I’ve been processing & working on my mental health through
art as long as I can remember.. even though I usually
don’t realize it at the time.

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this dress is everything.. cotton, velvet, silk, lace,
coat lining, apples, leaves, green shoots..
dark soil, the smell of moss & ferns.
the meadows when the rain came back.
the pond with it’s mysterious shadows.
young plants, old plants, dying plants & unborn plants.

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I hope for it to live with someone as a dear friend,
to run outside on summer nights, to pick vegetables,
to dance in leaf piles, to mesmerize children
& to charm the faeries.

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xo
S

 

One thought on “the Lirian dress

  1. how beautiful !!! yes, you put inside your soul … as inside all your work … and your words are so clear and expressive. I am an artist (textil) too, and understand what you say very-very much. My work really cured me, and now I stopped to work because I can’t work like before, so I’m waiting for see how I can work in a new way … I don’t know yet, so I take advantage and make other things in the meantime. All the best for you …!

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