12.6.12

the day of the elder coat

so i've reimagined my elder cloth, or at least a portion of it, as an elder coat.  





it's been so easy.  which makes me feel i'm on the right track.  i had taken the old quilt top and backed it with muslin with the idea of it being the middle part of the elder cloth.  but it was a great rectangle, and it seemed perfectly formed for cutting an opening and a neck.  and then i added some elderberry-dyed patches to reinforce the shoulders, and then a binding around the neck.  and the cross-stitch i put on the inside, so that it doesn't take over the design, but still it's there for us.  

jude's boro 2 class is quite amazing for inspiration of this sort and in general.  and helping me to think through how i want to dress and why.  this coat is so very jude as someone said, but i'll take that as a big YES and figure it can be me, too.  i can feel elderberry in it so fully, and i'll treasure it regardless of whether it's altogether representative of my style.  maybe it's my emerging style, or maybe it's just a mule-coat, my heirloom.

it's not even close to done yet.  lots of patching and mending left to do with the old cloth and basic stitching to hold everything down.  but i can already wear it, which is oh so satisfying.  and the ideas are flowing.  i think next i'll bundle dye with some rusty old horseshoes, then look at embroidering some sort of a mane and maybe a tail down the back.  and her brand of course.  and lots of other symbols and bits of memories in all the patches. 

9 comments:

  1. i really like this. the muted colors give it a sense of softness.

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  2. it's the perfect elderberry spirit holder, on its way to becoming even more. goodness inside and out.

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    1. i love that you are calling it a spirit holder, especially since it will be holding me along with her spirit! makes it even more perfect, thank you.

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  3. (I just wrote a comment and it disappeared so if I double up, you can delete one of them, okay?) I said that I'm speechless because this is beyond beautiful. I think it is very much you -- and your thoughts on making/wearing it are so inspiring. xo

    And I'm reading Flags in the Dust because of your alluring sidebar! Sort of hard to get into his style of writing but I'm determined to carry on!

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    1. i only got one comment peggy, so thank you for leaving it again!! i'm not sure why blogger does that sometimes. i really appreciate your words on my coat. it's the first project that i've done in one of jude's classes that has progressed this far. and glad you like reading my thoughts on process... i'm always reluctant at how much to share!

      do let me know how you end up liking the faulkner. i used to hate him, but then that morphed into a deep love. sometimes i just focus on the sound of the words.

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  4. Dru~ This is wonderful...so earthy and real. I love how far it has come, the plans you hold for it and what surely it holds for you too. I love seeing it with the woods and greens of your world and I would love to see it ON you (even as it stands thus far)!
    As far as the comments, I've had stuff go into my spam so you may want to check that?!
    PS I like the Faulkner quote too!

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  5. I love this honouring of your elderberry mule spirit and looking back through the links in your blog seeing the development of this dream work coming into focus, your totem embroideries are so powerful Dru this is a piece of real magic. Thank you for sharing!

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  6. I love your coat dru,such a feeling of gentleness about it x

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