Each garment is a portrait of a family member and a meditation on labor and relationships. This series was a labor of love and exploration of identity, the act of gifting, and personal myth and story telling. All color in each piece came from me dyeing it by hand using natural dyes. The lace in Lace Spirit is handmade by me, and I foraged the black walnuts used to dye that piece a rich brown. Working mostly from my bedroom, I sewed the overalls’ applique by hand. I dyed and hand-wove the fabric in Southern Belle , which is a piece about domestic labor, the alienation of conservative Christian womanhood, and is intentionally lacking in creative design. The fur used in Rabbit and Raven was skinned by the subject of the piece from a coyote hit by a car. That piece includes themes of strength and vulnerability. Screen printed images on Joy, Hope, Nostalgia were done using natural dyes, and many were based off of family photographs. Using natural dyes in this work was me engaging with my deep connections to the natural world. Each of these slow and intentional processes provided time and space to meditate on these relationships and stories amidst incredible political and social turmoil which impacted me personally during the years of 2016 and 2017.

In order:

Appalachian Queer for Justice

Linen, natural dyes

Joy, Hope, Nostalgia

Rayon, natural dyes, tencel yarn

Rabbit and Raven

Silk, cotton, natural dyes, textile pigment, coyote fur, snake bones

Southern Belle

Hand-woven tencel, silk, natural dyes

Lace Spirit

Silk, cotton lace made by the artist, natural dyes, vintage cotton sheet, family locket

2017