Baltimore Sonnets

I've always wanted to capture the spirit of transformation through textiles.  When I created textile books with African garments and fabrics last year, I wondered who wore them, what occasion they were worn and how they were made.  With those fabrics and books, I concentrated on historical, cultural, and social aspects of textiles.   This year, it is about "soul sewing." I will use the most symbolic garment of love -- the wedding dress and transform wedding dresses into stories of joy, happiness, sorrow, forgiveness and all the emotions that come with being in love.

My new series of handmade textile books involves manipulating textiles to tell stories of love and loss. Ever since I moved to Baltimore, I have noticed used and unused wedding dresses in thrift stores.  Some of these dresses stay there for months before being purchased. Where did these dresses come from?  How did they end up in thrift stores?  Who buys wedding dresses from thrift stores?  What are their stories?  For the next year, I will transform a few of these wedding dresses into books.  I will create original designs, poetry, illustrations, and will use various textile manipulation techniques to tell stories.