Garden Mannequin

Still playing fast and loose!  This is my interpretation of a garden mannequin.


 

"Carry Me"

This little piece (7” x 10”) is made from fabric scraps glued to a base and stitched down by machine.  It was inspired by Oregon artist Bonny Gorsuch.  In fact, these are some of her scraps I purchased on Etsy (from MyBonny).  A few years ago she was featured in Sew Somerset magazine (Winter 2010) and told how she created small artworks from scraps of fabric glued to tag board, then stitched.  Her work is a joy to behold!  Her wearable art is amazing!

Some of Bonny’s scraps I used were cut from thrift store clothing such as the dove (originally a sweatshirt motif, I think) and the button tab from a roll-up sleeve shirt!  Other fabrics appear to have been snipped from decorator yardage.  There were words cut from fabric, too.  I just started arranging a few pieces and a bird cage magically appeared (to me, at least!).  I cut out the words “carry me” for a title.  Then I added an old St. Christopher medal I had found in a box of buttons.  Legend has it that St. Christopher (patron saint of travel) would carry people across a raging sea and one of them was Jesus as a child.  Part of a Catholic prayer for protection ends like this: “Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace.”  The dove made me think of how we carry the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

       

Santa Oceana

Here's another Santa, just finished and photographed.

Old Hippie Santa

He's finally finished and uploaded to my Etsy store.  His paisley shirt is made from a vintage tablecloth.  I made him a little macramé belt consisting of square knots of leather and string.