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Melanie Testa

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A Brooklyn day plus reconstruction!

Oh my goodness have I been having fun making stuff. I am exploring the concept of deconstructing, reconstructing and constructing. When we reconstruct our bodies after breast cancer, we can have procedures where you move fat from one part of the body to another, you can cut a flap of muscle and rearrange it, who knew? Flaps. Moving. Buttons. Pockets. Closures. My idea of cloth, clothing, textiles and medical procedure lingo are colliding. Clothing has become my canvas.

I am sewing wherever I go. Seen here with my Gather your Sew-plies purse in action. You can also see my Boro Bag/Hip Bag. I am preparing a new classes centered around embroidery and bag making. We will dye our own threads and use the inspiration around us to embroider our stories, circumstance, and daily lives on cloth.

I am designing a new hip bag, one that can be worn  along with the Sew-plies Purse and will hold a small project-I have to enable this creative tangent. It is a tangent. Graffitti is a tangent, don’t you think? So why not embroider in a graffiti like fashion all over my clothing. Soon, I won’t be wearing a backpack at all, I will have small art bags, holding my sewing essentials, strapped to my body.

I don’t think these two bags really go together, but they are helping me to define a criteria for the next bag.

Lady Liberty. I love me some her. What a beautiful female symbol she is. In the middle of our harbor. A gentle womanly soul, hand held high.

Yup, I like her.

I spied a stencil and David snappend a photo of Mr. T? Who is that? 

Boy did I walk alot yesterday. I met up with my good friend Erin, and we wandered. We sat at the promenade and talked. We looked at the skyline, we shot the breeze. Then I met up with David and we walked down to the beach in Red Hook. I sat and sewed in front of Lady Liberty. David took photos of his shoe laces and asked me to use one of the images, perhaps just the shape as a motif.

How could a girl resist?

We got Limonata, too. That is my sinful indulgence right now. I love them. They are tart. Almost freeze them, and drink straight from the can.

On our way home, David and I stopped at Union Max. And NABBED two printed blouses. But look at that collar, my goodness. I have already deconstructed it,

changed the collar to peter pan styling, reattached it. And just because I was there, removed the bust darts.

By the way, this shirt is printed gaberdine. When I was growing up, I remember people talking about gaberdine, it was very exciting at the time. Do you have memories about cloth like this?

August 4, 2012 By Melanie Tagged With: Construct, Deconstruct, NYC, Reconstruct, Stencil

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deborah

    August 4, 2012 at 11:33 am

    My favorite thing about Lady Liberty is that she is striding forward. When you see her on the island from the back, one leg is outstretched. http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com/search?q=statue+of+liberty

    There is a PeeWee Herman stencil on a utility box in our neighborhood. I’ll take a picture for you.

    • Melanie

      August 4, 2012 at 10:16 pm

      I look forward to seeing the photograph!

  2. Kristin L

    August 4, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    I love the confluence of body deconstruction/reconstruction and the deconstruction/restyling of clothing. I think that is very apt coming from you right now and look forward to all the places you go with it!

    • Melanie

      August 4, 2012 at 10:16 pm

      Me too, Kristin.

  3. jean

    August 4, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    love your new blog look…and so excited to get my book too! you inspire me, miss melly

    • Melanie

      August 4, 2012 at 10:16 pm

      Thank you, Jean.

  4. Jeannie

    August 5, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    I love the kites on the wall. Your blouse and your enthusiasm for creating clothing that is yours is so exciting! I had to give up back packs a few years ago. Drives me nuts to carry a tote bag! Next I’ll be pushing a cart with kitties rubbing my legs as I walk. LOL!

  5. Lisa

    August 6, 2012 at 1:54 am

    Great job on the collar. You look great!

  6. Anne Marei

    August 10, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    Love the blouses! You look great in them and they on you. 🙂

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