Embodied Fiber
blank space, getting air & a wedding dress
The creamy wrinkled silk spreads easily across the guest room bed.
It’s out of the box, ready for action - -
Not to be worn by my daughter, who wants nothing to do with it, but to be re-imagined.
Did I really fit into that all those year ago?
It’s been taking up space - - in a box - - since my wedding in 1992.
Now it needs to breathe, just as I need to breathe…
And perhaps some color…a few stitches here and there…to create a garden…
with yarn found in a box stored at my studio.1
But it’s intimidating to be with all this material, especially with stains from unknown origins - - the frayed edges of the interior stitching and those stains are testament, though, to life’s realities, the real deal, as I call it.
I’ve been inspired by the #The100DayProject, I'm seeing what happens when I spend at least 10 minutes a day with this dress.
On day 1, I photographed the buttons on the cuffs and bodice...
and drew a line for a tree…like Harold and The Purple Crayon, I’ll sew a new reality…
one stitch, one day, at a time.2
As I sew the trunk into being, I consider the power of this dress on that one day 33 years ago when my husband and I said yes. It was a proverbial ‘blank slate,’ and we committed to create a life together.
The stitches are different sizes and they wobble a bit, like our life - - we filled the open spaces with our hopes and dreams, some of which came to pass and many of which did not.
And here we are, thirty-two and a half years later, still figuring it out…a new place to life, a new ‘blank slate.’
The material is shinier and silkier than I would choose now. In fact, if I were to do it over, would I even wear a long dress with a train?
No matter. It’s now a perfect place to record all those trees, shrubs and flowers that surrounded us in New Hampshire and to perhaps even hide some bits and pieces from our life. Who knows?
With each stitch, there is an exchange between it and me, a quiet conspiratorial conversation of sorts.
The fabric invites reflection about time, space and the energies embodied in a pile of silky material turned into a dress. I am grateful to The 100 Day Project for offering a structure within which to play and explore and turn a new dream into reality.
As always, thank you for sharing your time and this space with me.
With gratitude for you being you,
Lyn
PS: If you are anywhere near Newport, NH in the coming month, please check out my Meandering Mold images in the Selections Exhibition at The Library Arts Center.
PPS: If it weren’t for all the ‘empty’ space, would we even notice these pine needles?
This image is a strange contrast to the creamy dress, but it, too, makes me think about space, and light, and the air and energy, between. The most powerful energy, of course, is the space and light and energy that flows between people. If this post or others I’ve created inspire you, please share with your peeps!
And if you see yourself in this narrative, please make a comment below. I’d love to hear what you’ve done with your wedding dress, if, that is, you chose to have one.
What, you won’t throw this for me?
As you may or may not know, I’m finding air and trying to breathe in my studio, which became overly cluttered after we moved last year. Here’s a link to last week’s post Embodied Space.
These images are clearly not studio-made. The lighting was poor and they are delightfully grainy…and there’s an odd pinky hue here and there. Oh well. The shimmer and shapes are seductive anyway.
My dress, with it's wrinkles and odd stain, sits in a box longing to be an art project like a box of crayons that haven't been used. I love what you're doing here. I think my embroidering days are behind me, though, who knows? Perhaps opening the box, pulling the dress into the light, and sitting with it for a time will elicit creative motion. Thank you for the inspiration, Lyz
My wedding dress was very simple, no train and no lace. I loved wearing it. Some years later, I gave it to my aunt who was visiting from Scotland. She took it home for her daughter to wear. My cousin made a beaaautiful lace top to wear over the simple dress. She looked stunning! But the story doesn't have a happy ending. She divorced after having three children. MY husband and I were happily married for almost 59 years when he died. In my wedding pictures I can see the dreams in our eyes. Thanks for reminding me of that special day so many years ago.