I know that an explanation is due very soon as to how I have arrived at the story and persona for this month.... But it is Friday night and I am sewing sequins....and an explanation will just have to wait.
Friday, April 15, 2011
April15,2011
I am sewing sequins on Thimbelina. ... Hot pink sequins from a bolt of sequin fabric and some green/blue single hand stitched ones too... She is getting all spangled out.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
April 9, 2010
Making progress today. Started with some white thread to stitch along the top of this dress and started to add sequins to the bottom. This dress will have 3 components to it- can you feel the ambition? It will be the dress, a layer that will go over it, and a crocheted part that will go over that. More work will go into the two top layers, creating them and constructing them... less time on the actual dress, which by the way I bought when I was 15 at a thrift store and wore for a family Easter party as well as for my Birthday... which also occurs this month... and yes, the dress still fits... well not still, but it does fit with perhaps a future adjustment perhaps to be made to the bust area... we can't always get what we had...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Struggle, final image
Wow. I am here. I made it, for now.
The struggle was constructed using 4 dresses layered on top of each other. These four dresses, one green, one blue, one white and one black all have a history. The green and blue one's I wore when I was very pregnant. The white one was a maid of honor's dress for my friend's wedding, the day after that wedding I found out I was pregnant. The black dress came from summers of pre-marriage, pre-child carefree awesomeness. I ditched the yellow skirt that was also supposed to be Incorporated into this outfit.
I worked in a lot of deconstruction to this dress, stitching and then cutting away to reveal the layers underneath. I didn't get too fussy with the details, because as we know by now this dress didn't start off with a bang. It just kind of limped on like a good failure should. It feels good to have kind of not succeeded with this one. Well, maybe I did or maybe I didn't, who's to judge?
The hem of the dress is not finished. I like to look at the dress as just being under construction. It kind of reminds me of that Missy Elliott album Under Construction, really feminist, brutal, but a reminder that we are not perfect and that we are all just constantly working on ourselves to be ourselves. This is also kind of where the final photo came from. The idea that as we struggle there is what we perceive ourselves as, and what we are... but what we struggle with is our mirror or our projected self, who we think we are or who we think we ought to be.
I am not going to lie, I spent most of my day in my Pajamas, working my butt off on the wrap/belt/failed first corset of this dress. I really worked furiously and fast. There were already components of this appendage that were being worked on as part of my 10 minutes of stitching each day, but for the most part it all came at the end.
The chickens are the funniest part of this... they are really becoming dear to me, sweet keepsakes, funny and nostalgic and classic literal reminders to keep pecking away at this project. Don't be Chicken, keep going. On one of them I stitched the words "Open Up", it could be seen as a com and to reveal all the red sequins I stitched inside the pouch, or it could be read as an other reminder to say open, not shut down, keep honest about this project, how I feel with it, where things are coming from, etc.
I have also taken an old Gadsden flag with all the revolutionary history past and present (currently now a favorite of the Tea Party, which I claim no allegiance to) and claimed it as my own... instead of "Don't Tread on Me" I made my own motto, as I am designing these various states of Wylie; "Treat me Well"
And finally I have stitched the lyrics to a new Moses Atwood Song, a song called Hard Disposition... I will keep this part brief seeing as the album has not been released yet.. When you hear the song you will know why I honor it here. This musician, friend, performer, poet inspires me to be better at all that I do but to stay true to myself while making it. His music is amazing and if you have never heard his songs you should go out and purchase all of his music right now.
Next Up- Oh I already know her name and everything--- a dress that starts with persona in hand, ready to go... I just have to dress her... check back tomorrow and I will tell you all about it.
April 6, 2011 images
This is what I looked like for most of the day, after I made the final push to make more of an effort to work on the Struggle...
April 6, 2011
At home, still in pj's. Kiddo is at daycare. I am working on work. Eating lunch, a sardines, tomatoe, grape and cheese sandwich. Looking at the Struggle. Thinking how will I solve this? more like How will I resolve this? Is there time for a final push? maybe, let's see what this omega sandwich can do for me....maybe it will take a stellar sound track too.. when I get the urge for sewing, I have to go and sew.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
April 5, 2011
Sometimes life has a way of getting in the way of art, and sometimes art has a way of getting in the way of life...to each his/her own...
...and if you are confused, don't be.... I'll explain it tomorrow.
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Wylie Sofia Garcia
Monday, April 4, 2011
Details of some great chicken embroidery that a friend donated for this project. I like the image of the chicken... a good reminder not to be chicken, to keep pushing the project, keep it exploring things... try to be as fearless with it as possible.
The other embroidery is something I am working on.. lyrics from a song... a reminder as well... to get outside of one's self... to let lightness bubble up.... but that's all I can say about that for now.
April 4, 2011
April 4, 2011
Daily Stitches... still going. The Struggle is well, a struggle. Only a couple of days left. The next month already on deck... the dress not made yet, but the idea already coming together.
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