completed; crazy shirt

Wearing my patched shirt; stitched patches onto a second hand shirt I got from a charity shop. Finished! Warm! Layered!
Doing the job that I intended. Acting as insulation to keep me warm throughout the cold.
I layer up with t-shirts and jumpers/cardis, and keep toasty warm. Intending it to be an 'overall' I could wear in multitude situations, today I wore it outside while doing some garden clearing.
Last autumn I had an ash tree taken down that was too big, and overtaking my garden. During this, the tree-feller managed to smash a glass screen that was acting as a coldframe on my raised bed. Result; lots of fragments of safety glass in my soil, and raised bed......sigh.
Each job, creates another.
Disheartened at the amount of work I would need to do on clearing this glass I've put off the job. Today, I started picking out the glass. It was archaeology; me on hands and knees with small hand-spade, picking out glistening pieces from the soil. At least I've begun. For the actual raised bed, I'm going to just get a spade and dig out the lovely compost I put in (which is where the glass is!) then chuck it in the bin. It'll be hard work; but quicker than going over it like an archaeological site!
It made me wonder about my methods of doing things with small tools; the hand-spade; the small brush I used when I decorated recently, rather than a roller.
I'm like that with my paintings; small brushstrokes, rather than sweeping ones. Making small seed stitches, when working on textiles. It may simply be a physical thing; I have quite small hands, so grasping hold of large pieces of equipment can be uncomfortable for me. Still; preferences can change. Methodologies can alter.

crazy shirt

Back

Not quite a 'crazy quilt' because I've not done any padding/quilting on this shirt. But it is 'pieces' I've stitched over the shirt; the purple cotton underneath. I started it last winter; as part of my plan to keep warm throughout winter/s, and also an attempt to reduce my heating bills; in this country we have people having to choose between eating, and heating. So; having come across sashiko stitches, and learning from Saskia about 'Boro' and the way fabric and stitches are used in traditional Japanese working-class communities, I decided to 'just sew' and patch a shirt that I could pull on over my clothes, and layer up to keep warm. Because it's so random, and un-designed, it won't matter about keeping it clean, or neat, or tidy. I can just chuck it into the washer when it needs washing; I can just put it over layers, and put a fleece over the top of it if I want. It's cotton, so it's not too bulky; I can use it in the studio; in the garden; camping; it will be useful in all sorts of situations.  

Front

And it's on the final push! I've stitched almost all the way round the shirt, and am onto the left-hand front side. Gonna leave the sleeves as they are. The patches are a mix of bought fabric; gifted fabric; and fabric hand-dyed by me.
The stitches strengthen the fabric; they create increased insulation; they add texture; and each one made by hand!

As I'm typing this, R6 Tom Robinson show is playing music in tribute to Nelson Mandela, to mark his death. And tonight is the anniversary of John Lennon's death. Feels a dark time, as we lead up to the longest night.
Dusk fell early. I was out in the garden pottering about; watching a stunning sky of orange clouds illuminated from below.

snowy studio #4

The view to the studio, from the house. 

I've been popping in and out, looking for fabric to use on my boro shirt; and also investigating materials I could use on a collagraphy plate. I've cut up an aluminium beer can, to create the basic 'plate'. Now, to create the marks, using the materials I've collected, that will constitute the printing plate.

The snow brings me the perfect opportunity to stay indoors, keeping warm & stitching! I'm drawn to adding patches to the shirt I've been working on; my 'boro' project. Perhaps it's the colours in my hand I crave, when outside all is monochrome? 

I'm using running stitch; all done by hand. Gives a lovely rippled effect to the fabric; 3-dimensional textures. 

Went out for a walk in the snow yesterday, and took some photos of Alverthorpe Beck, including the lagoons. Work is still being done on the flood defences up there. I don't envy the security man having to sit in his portacabin in this weather. He must get cold.

'boro'; stitching and patching

Inspired by Saskia, Grace, and other women following Jude Hill's stitching web-classes, I've bought a man's shirt, and am in the process of using running stitch (sashiko stitches in Japan) to attach patches of cloth to it. This has the benefit of layering the cloth, to both strengthen it, and give it more insulating properties. I believe this is in the spirit of 'Boro'...if not exactly the technique!
'Boro' is another Japanese term, which refers to the mending, and re-using of cloth. It fits well into my ideas about re-cycling and mending.
This shirt is being made with the cold of winter in mind; to keep me warm. However, I'm a very slow hand stitcher, so it may very well be next winter, before I get the benefit from it! In the meantime, I can stitch away, with no pressure. It is a pick up, and put down project.