"We need more colour!"
And so I made a picnic mat.
I made a call for scraps, and they came!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the mat for the Maker Faire; no matter how big or small, I really appreciate it.
As I was making the mat, I realised that each scrap has a story behind it. I thought it would be interesting to find out more, and so I interviewed the contributors.
#1 "These were curtains. We had ordered some for the spa and then found they were too long. We ended up cutting them shorter!"
#2 "I think my mum used to sew it into bolster cover"
#3 Uniform from Marina Bay Sands. It was going to be thrown out but the fabric from the waist coats was too pretty.
#4 "I think I bought that (top) when I was 15, with little I have, it only cost me $2 at a reject shop. I think it's vibrant and cute. Then I gave it to my sister. We both grew out of it"
#5 "My dad used to have a factory making garments for overseas export, but the textiles industry was moving to cheaper places like Bangladesh so his business went bust. All these fabrics used to be samples that he got from his suppliers."
#6 From the maternity dress that I made in 2005! It was baby pink and sweet - not sure what I was thinking of though.
#7 Cut offs from I bought from Fictive Fingers.
#8 "Clothing for a soft toy that I made for a swap!"
#9 Another maternity dress, the one that was converted into a skirt!
#10 "These were my daughters' (yes, all 3) pyjamas"
#11 Scraps left over from making my own sanitary liners (more details later!)
#12 Scraps from an old lady who passed away recently (story here) She was the lady who gave me the lace for my refashioned lace top.
For me, the story that touched me the most was #5, the one about his dad's garment factory closing down. It's a reminder that things don't always go as planned, no matter how hard you try. But then, the happy thing is that things turned out alright for them in the end.
Do you own something that has an interesting story/stories behind it?
I love how you've documented the story behind each piece of fabric. That's a part of what makes a quilt so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stella!
Delete#5 is a story that touches me too because it's a significant story of where the fashion industry has gone and it has gotten us in the unsustainable and unethical practices we've developed. I loved learning about all the different stories, they have such great meaning to your picnic mat.
ReplyDeletehttp://passportcouture.com
It was a little sad :-(
DeleteThe mat is full of stories! and you relive each and every scraps, stunning!
ReplyDeleteI loved the stories; they added so much meaning to the mat.
Deleteooooh I love this. And its just what making a scraps quilt is about, putting together memories, and stories in one place. There are families that hand down their scrap quilts from mother to daughter and always tell each other the story of each piece. What a wonderful thing you´ve done. And it spans the globe I bet. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Orana. I hadn't realised until you mentioned the sewing of quilts!
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