Ruth’s Quilt - Private commission. 

In 2022 I was approached by Jo - the mother of a dear childhood friend. Jo’s mother Ruth had died almost 40 years earlier and Jo had diligently kept a collection of her beautiful garments for all those years. Not able to bring herself to part with such wonderful pieces rooted in precious memories of her mother Jo was seeking a way to repurpose the garments. They had been hidden away in bags for all these years and she wanted to see them and relish in their beauty again. 

Having known me in childhood, when I would often scour op shops and find garments to repurpose in creative and fantastical ways for my own outrageous fashion expression, Jo thought I might be able to make something out of Ruth’s clothes. At first I was apprehensive. I am only a hobby sewer and my creations are always slightly wonky, off kilter and imperfect.

During a workshop with the inimitable textile artist Maungarongo Ron Te Kawa I was reminded of the beauty of the rough edges, the exposed seams. Ifelt the joy in figuring out how to make my creative ideas work with my limited skills working with fabrics. The fact that I have no formal training is what made the experience so creative. Every moment was a puzzle to be figured out and in the process a new possibility for how to work with the fabric would emerge. I’m so grateful for this workshop as it gave me the confidence to take on the task of making something out of Ruth's beautiful clothes. 

The next time I was visiting home I sat with Jo enjoying a warm cup of tea as she showed me a selection of photos of her mother. I marvelled at Ruth’s grace and elegance emanating out of the black and white photos with well worn edges. She obviously took great pride in her fashions. She had spent her life collecting wonderful garments and caring for them. Then Jo and I looked through the two bags of clothes she had kept. What wonderful colours! Ruth was not afraid of marvellous patterns and bold silhouettes. Taking the clothes away I felt a deep responsibility to honour the many memories and the spirit of Ruth held within these clothes. I was determined to unpick everyone with diligence and care, to understand their structures and to build the work embracing the beauty of the threads, the seams and the hidden internal structural work of the garments. Much like the hidden work that women and mothers have been doing for generations I wanted to honour the quiet insides and the labour they represented as well as the extravagant exteriors. Historically fabric and fashion have been one of very few avenues for creativity and expression available for women. In doing this work I felt I was coming into communion with the woman and artists who had come before me who found solace in the creativity of quietly mending and repurposing. 

Before I began to delicately unpick each garment I wanted to capture them in their glory, how they had originally been intended. With some fortuitous timing it happened that my lifelong friend Ruby, Ruth’s Granddaughter, was visiting home too. So we had a fashion shoot in my childhood bedroom (reminiscent of some our days playing together as children) Seeing how the garments hung on her body and witnessing the sense of personality they evoked in Ruby was such a wonderful way of getting to know the clothes, and Ruth, on a deeper level. 

As I began to piece together what the quilt might look like I sketched out some shapes and designs. But as soon as the fragments of garments were in my hands they had their own ideas of how they wanted to fit together. It became clear to me that in honouring the beautiful tailoring that I had untangled I should keep some of the original shape and structure intact. It became a task of linking and fitting together the sections in such a way that the original garment could still be seen. 

Starting rough and messy and slowly adding details ended up being the best way for me to discover what the quilt was asking to be. I may have spent many more hours figuring it out than an experienced seamstress but I enjoyed meeting each new challenge that arose as a consequence of my last uninformed decision. In the end I think i made something quite beautiful. Perhaps it does not have the same grace and elegance that I feel Ruth emanated in those photos but it certainly expresses the wild creativity and adventurousness I have always admired in Jo and the kind of easygoing philosophical practicality and adaptability that I have learned from Ruby. So in my mind it holds the energy of all three generations of women and I am proud to have been able to weave those things together. 

Please excuse the poor quality of the image. I’m working on getting some better shots taken. For now I hope this allows you to get a sense of it.

I’d love to do more of this work. So if you, or anyone you know, has hoarded clothes or fabrics with some kind of nostalgic resonance and doesn't know what to do with them, send me a message. Mostly I'd love to hear your stories, why these things are meaningful to you, why it's hard to let go. Together we can honour the desire to hold on in such a way that can bring new life and joy. Or at least, that's the hope. If you have a slick and clean aesthetic, i might not bethe gall for you. The mess and the wobble is what my skills enable but if your into that then i’m your gall.