Waiting 40 years for inspiration.

A while ago, my mother was cleaning out her craft cabinet and gave me several yards of fabric.  One of the them was a beautiful brocade that was hand-dyed with a deep indigo.  When I asked where the fabric came from, my mom told me that it was sent to her by a Sierra Leonean pen pal she had when she was in middle school.

I kept the fabric for a very long time waiting for inspiration to come.  With it being such a beautiful fabric, I had to find the perfect project to put it to use.  It turns out, my mother had kept it intact so long for the very same reason.  It was such a special gift, she didn't want to use it for just anything.

Not long after my mom gave me the fabric, I came across a couple letters that her pen pal, Fatu, had written.  In the letters, Fatu asks about my mother's school, family, and American history.  They are very sweet letters with all the inquisitiveness and enthusiasm you would expect from a teenager with a new friend.  The sentimentalist in me loves that my mother enjoyed the experience enough to hang on to these items for over 40 years.  However, it made the thought of cutting into the fabric even harder.

And so, the fabric remained in a drawer for a long time.  It wasn't until I had an opportunity to create an artwork for a gallery exhibition that I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for.  I felt the best way to utilize the fabric was to pay homage, in a way, to the bond between Fatu and my mom.  Though fleeting, it must have been youthfully genuine and great fun for them both.  Each had a friend half a world away whom they were sharing their story with.

With my concept in mind, I began to work on an embroidered replica of both a letter and the envelope it came in.  The letter I copied refers to the fabric Fatu sent.  She calls it "Yara clothes."  I couldn't find much on the internet about Yara clothes.  My guess is they are named after Yara, a city not far from where Fatu went to school. 

I set out trying to be as exact as possible in replicating the stamps, but in the end, much like with drawing, I found I could be just as successful by giving the viewer the idea of a shape or text .  I didn't need to necessarily copy every image stitch for stitch.

I did, however, want to try my best to capture Fatu's precise and practiced handwriting.  You can tell that she must have enjoyed penmanship.  The lettering is meticulous and yet still has the flourish of a teenage girl.

I'm really proud of the finished products.  They were up for a month last May in an exhibition at the Harrison Center in Indianapolis.  It was an honor to be a part of the show.  I recently gave the embroidered letter and envelope to my mom for her birthday.  It's a wonder that mothers never get tired of the things their children make for them!  I guess I know where I get my sentimentality from......