Sewing

This nostalgia
I am surprised I find myself so interested in this form of process, although, the way I process and visualize the method is never in a conventional sense. I always push the boundaries of the traditional that is how I practice and research my materials. However reluctantly, I need to examine aspects of women within the home and their role through the process of sewing as this is a core component of why I am doing what I am doing. I have had great influence from my Mum and Grandmother during the 70's and some early '80's growing up with 'making' & 'sewing' going on around me as a child. The sewing machine was always  a constant reassuring hum in the background. My Grandma, although never smoked properly (she never inhaled!) used to sit and hand and machine sew with a cigarette in her mouth just letting it burn down. Us kids used to be amazed at how long the trail of ash became before it dropped off the cigarette it just burnt out and was never actually smoked!  I also have many fond and comforting memories being fitted for skirts and dresses; pins sticking in me, taking garments off and on all the time to be checked for sizing. I have real tactile and haptic memories of a particular cotton summer dress my mum made for me; the feel of it when freshly washed and ironed on my skin still resonates today............the nostalgia of these memories feed into the work I do today. I need to use these narratives within my work in a sense.
I do own a Singer Futura 2000 (1980's) which I rescued from being thrown away. With it was an instruction booklet dated 1976 which I find pretty amazing. It is evident from this that sewing was a huge part of the structure of the home. The machine itself could be placed anywhere and integrated into family life just as I have experienced. The emphasis was on 'creativity' and 'pleasure' I never experienced sewing to be a pain to do for Mum and Grandma it was always an enjoyable process a process of making and the satisfaction of making it yourself; having a finished product that could be worn. Being and doing as women within the home. There was always an emphasis on make do and mend getting the best from the materials that were found and bringing together surfaces through the art of stitch.