Saturday, April 24, 2010

Bag, Emily.

















Bag.
Emily.
Sewing project.

:::

about the piece.
Emily talks about her bag, "I made this to deal with my fear of my sewing room. My sewing is mostly craft, but sometimes transcends into art. I don't really use patterns and I kind of let the fabric 'tell' me what it wants to be. I make my bags from upholstery samples mostly. I find great pleasure in repurposing things that would otherwise be in a landfill. When my mom came to visit a couple weeks after Juniper died, we cleaned all the diaper making supplies and baby stuff fabrics out of the sewing room.

"But there was still a terrible sadness in that space.

"I sew a lot. Stuff to sell, stuff for friends. The occasional costume (my secret grown-up, non-mom job is theatrical costumer) and every once in a while something for me. I cried every time I went down there. My therapist suggested to me to try to reclaim that space. To make something for myself. It took a while. The first fabrics I picked out made me weep. Then I realized they were the colors of the diaper bag my husband had given me for Christmas. I had to cry a lot while I made it, even though it had nothing to do with the baby. But here it is, something I made. I carry it with me all the time."



about the contributor.
Emily writes about her journey at the Nature of Balloons.

4 comments:

  1. I love it. I hope you feel you reclaimed that space. The bag is beautiful proof of your love for Juniper, and the steps you are taking in your journey through grief. ((hugs))

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  2. Many hugs to you, i find this to be SO powerful and kudos to your therapist to help you find something to help you reclaim something that brought you so much joy at one point.

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  3. From one seamstress to another, I can so totally get this, although I wasn't afraid of my space.Sewing is my therapy, and handling fabrics has often brought a tear to my eye (or racking sobs) since florence was born.But I need to sew,it's part of me.
    Your bag is beautiful. x

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  4. It is a lovely bag made with tears for you little Juniper.

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