The Return of the Robe

This artwork started a while back, and consists of a cotton robe, fair trade from Dharma Traders, which I have been using as a kind of gallery of my stitching of many kinds. Many of these pieces have been exhibited, and I took them out of the exhibit frames to let them breathe.  It's a robe but not to wear.  It's the concept of a robe, executed with stitching of many kinds.  A hanging wallpiece.

I took a winter break when the light faded, and now I'm back. What a treat to be stitching again.

New readers: check in Art, the Beautiful Metaphor if you want to scroll back and see the progress of this piece.

 https://beautifulmetaphor.blogspot.com

I have plenty of space left, the inside back, the sleeves, and plenty of works to attach. The running stitches, sashiko, you see are worked directly onto the robe, and when the other motifs are placed, there will be more. It will be very lively eventually. It's pretty lively now, come to think of it.

As you will see I've done a variety of embroidery forms, gold work being a favorite. With the exception of the little square petit point over the left pocket, an antique piece depicting a scene from the Unicorn Tapestries in the Cluny Museum, Paris,  I rescued and placed to honor the anonymous artist, this is all my original work.

And here's the motif I made from an idea from the Peacock Dress, a reconstruction of a Worth gown by Cathy Hay on YouTube.  It has a history.  Go to her channel to learn more, it's great social and textile history. Anyway, my version of it, complete with gold and silver work, on silk, seen here still stretched on the hoop, honoring Cathy's work and that of the original designers and embroiderers.

 And here cut off the hoop, and being overcast to stabilize the edges before it's appliqued onto the robe, my hand to show relative size

Like here just pinned temporarily, until I look at it more and decide if there's a better place. Here it's above a silverwork piece on hand dyed linen.

Here's the whole front, hanging on a lampstand which I rescued from the dumpster, removed the broken halogen bulb, and now use as a handy form

The back is a Japanese style direct applique, using Indian wedding sari fabric, and hand dyed cottons.  The hexie shapes are reverse applique -- stitched from the back, the edges folded back at the front, great fun to do.

 It's such a lovely thing, that the light is now high enough I can stitch again. Such a treat to be working in the tradition of women for centuries.

I have ideas for what to put in the inside back, since the stitching from the outside back needs to disappear.  I think some hand lacework stuff, name escapes me, oh wait, I think it's Teneriffe lace,  but I have pieces appliqued onto a hand dyed linen piece, ready to go. 

I'm also making soup, but this is enough to digest for now.  So I'll be back with the soup. Carrot, cashew, ginger, yellow split peas.  More tomorrow.