Let's Reframe: By Degrees

It's Just a T-Shirt

5/11/2019

 
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A 26-year-old
cotton object that rips
when I touch it. It's
just a ​t-shirt,
​right?
Picture
No. It's more.
It contains memories:
My first years of marriage; 
Playing squash with my husband;
Being in my 20's and feeling
invincible; It's so much
more than just
​a t-shirt.
Picture
Inspired
by menders
near and far, I got
out a needle, some light
purple thread, and got to work.
I want to wear this fragile
cotton shirt again.

Because...​
Picture
Because, well,
I love it. It's
just so
​soft.
Picture
Because
in our throw-away
society, mending matters.
And because it's cool
to mend. 
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Think 
the art of 
Japanese Boro
also known as Sashiko
​mending.
Picture
Picture
Think 
slow fashion
sustainable fashion
​re-use.

Picture
When I love
something, I care for it.
When I love someone, I care
for them. Love takes time and patience.
It can be messy and slow and it
is always imperfect. But
it's possible. We just
have to show up
and try.

Picture
Oh.
​And always
have a sense of humor.
For 26 years, I have only seen
colors, shapes, & an artist's signature.
When I told my husband about this project,
he asked: "Oh, your dancer shirt?"...
"My what? No, the one with
cool colors and
shapes." 
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Who knew?
It turns 
out I had never
actually paid as close attention to
this shirt 
I love as much as my husband had.
Sometimes 
I guess we just see what we see. What's
cool 
is that I didn't feel anything like a
dancer back in the 1990's, but

I definitely do today. It's
now 
more perfect
​than ever.
Picture
Also,
I'm grateful
to my mother for
teaching me how to sew.
Happy Mother's Day
to all!

Sarah
5/13/2019 12:12:39 pm

Oh my yes!!!!
Love this so much.

Lyn link
5/13/2019 01:09:54 pm

Dear dear Sarah, thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm. I think of you with every new patch I stitch. It's truly addicting. Hugs!

elizabeth streeter
5/14/2019 06:08:30 pm

So lovely also that your husband knew what shirt you were talking about that he takes notice about what you do and wear

Marianne Hagge
5/14/2019 06:48:19 pm

Unravelled......Now...we,who are left behind ,like tattered and torn BORO fabric, mended and patched ,Over and over again,kept together by small stitches of leftover........( Japanese)

elizaduckie
5/15/2019 09:19:25 pm

Hopped over from your sisters blog and the link she provided, to see your’s. Such lovely sentiments. Have to say the t-shirt looks more interesting, and substantial (grounded) now that it is mended. I follow India Flint on Instagram (prophet_of_bloom) and she would very much appreciate your shirt.


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    Picture
    Lyn Swett Miller
    ​
    reframing the narrative, one day, one image at a time
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     Let's ReFrame: By Degrees
    A place where photographer Lyn Swett Miller considers wonder, joy and transformation in a complex world.

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