Another fall, two more fractures. My father is breaking apart, body and mind. So, the fragile nature of bones is in my mind. Last summer I made a number of pieces of cloth using cyanotype chemicals and plastic Halloween skeletons. I really love the deep blue that results when the treated cloth is exposed to sunlight. I used an old cotton tablecloth, as well as a few other household textiles of unknown origin, just small pieces to make the process manageable.
I brought these cloth pieces and a bunch of other fabric in a laundry basket and drove, once again to Michigan, and set up a mobile studio in the home of my childhood. I wanted to do a little machine piecing, but did not bring my Featherweight, so I went to the basement and found yet another salvaged sewing machine. This one looks like it was a treadle model, later put in a portable case and rigged for electricity. What could I do but plug it in? Works like a charm, has that great old sewing machine smell too. And a beautiful straight stitch, with perfect tension. May I also mention the elaborate gold decals, with Egyptian theme? I checked the serial number on the internet and found out it was originally made in Elizabeth, NJ, in 1904.
Singer, made Elizabeth, NJ, 1904.
Now I am working with this cloth, trying different ideas, searching for a way to put an image together.