patch work collage

I’ve been obsessed with making these patchwork collages. it’s a low stakes environment that’s upping my tolerance for “killing my darlings” & taking creative risks.

Top left: took around 2.5 hrs on a sewing machine w/ the feed dogs lowered, so i could do free motion. i’m pretty proud of this lil bugger! it was made early 2024, when i first got my sewing machine. i’m glad to have finally found a spot to put this patch!
the rest are all a mix of hand embroidery, hand sewn & machine sewn, using recycled scrap fabric!

inspired by sashiko boro, & wabi-sabi (perfectly imperfect. ahaha though when i went to recall the word, i kept wanting to say yakisoba- but alas, that’s the noodles. :) )

i take these recycled scraps & assemble something lovely. it can be kinda wonderfully mindless. it takes awhile to patch them together, alternating between sewing machine with tiny stitch size, and hand-sewn.

i’m learning to welcome the “wasted” time-
a part of myself panics, but the wiser part is looking for more & more opportunities to sink myself into the slower path- the superfluous, inconvenient, outdated, handmade way.

i assemble recycled scraps here & there. i save & reuse every scrap thread. it’s quilt adjacent, but i’m more drawn to pairing misc organic shapes vs geometric precise designs. mixing textures, colors, stitch sizes- repurposing these textiles with new pairings.

when i have it just how i like it, i’ll often grab my scissors and cut my favorite parts of the collage into smaller pieces. it stings at first, but then, i find the joy in it. there’s some things lost, some things gained. (“Something's lost, but something's gained / In living every day") i really have needed this. i love doing it. there is no wrong & everything goes.

While laying these out on top of my favorite tank top, covering up some stains, i felt like a curator in an art museum, designing a salon style wall. imagining the 20 ft wall of stacked framed paintings shrunk down to a mini scale.

i’ve spent a lot of the last year seeking ways to infuse art into more areas of my life, beyond the 2d canvas. wearable art is really freaking rad.

if you’re interested in picking up sewing or embroidery or textile arts, i highly recommend it! it can be wildly affordable to pick up some hand sewing needles & some embroidery thread. it’s pretty darn accessible & easy to get into. customizing your clothes is so satisfying/fulfilling. and as a creative material, textiles/fabric are immensely abundant, & eager to be recycled. hardcore recommend! :)