The Memory of Fabric - Fragment no.1

Originally I thought I would write much more complicated essays about our relationship to fabric, textile and clothing but frankly, that’s not really how memory works is it? We often remember experiences as snapshots and fragments, all sort of pasted together into an autochrome-like collage. We remember some details, not all, a few minutes but not a whole day. Our relationship with fabric is much the same way, particularly as a maker. I don’t always remember the entire experience of making one thing, but I do remember a moment here and there, a mental image permanently imprinted onto the garment whenever it is worn.

In starting a new dress, I decided to return to low-waste pattern designer Cris Wood Sews. What I like about these patterns is one does not have to print out a pattern. Instead, these patterns are constructed from your body’s measurements and then assembled as a puzzle of squares and rectangles ensuring that if any pieces are left over, they are easily usable for a future project (sachets, eye pillows, tops, pillow cases, quilts, etc).

Below is from last week while starting to mark out the lines on the dress I’m wearing as I write this. It was 8PM at night, and I wasn’t feeling tired yet. Without overhead light above our dining room table, the oil lamp provided just enough light to get the pattern cut before I would sew it the next day. This is the reality of being a maker or artist for so many: no separate studio space or cutting table, just the already overcrowded dining room table and a little space you have carved out to do your craft.