All You Need Is Love

When I started this blog I was thinking that one of the greatest motivations for sewing is love, the mom sewing the buttons, for example. Even the Arpillera movement, the mother's were sewing because they loved their children that were taken away. I still do believe that to be true. I think so many of our actions are rooted in emotion. What wouldn't I do for my sister or my mother, anyone who I care about. If not careful, I can easily lapse into getting pretty hippie about things. It's all about love man. Whatever. However, I realize too that while much of the sewing that is done is about loving your neighbor, it is also about empowerment. The Chilean women were not going to let the government take their children from them without a protest. Friends were not going to watch their loved ones die of AIDS and hide their memory in shame. Ginger Dosedel was not going to sit back while American soldiers were unable to get dressed without help while they were injured serving our country. The Austrian judge was not going to watch women suffer anymore because they were kidnapped and raped. So many of the people mentioned on my blog, saw injustice and they chose to do something about it. They empowered themselves through sewing. They told the government that though they may be prostitutes they have a voice, and a right to earn a living. Though they are just a few students they will not accept sweat shop materials on their campus. All around the world people are sewing, and through sewing they are creating independence. They are sewing and they are establishing real seeds of change.

And anyway who really needs an excuse to hear the Beatles???Share

Sewing Center Empowers Women In Iraq

A sewing center has been opened in Iraq. This will allow women to learn a marketable skill to support their families. Many of their husbands have been killed so it will enable them to earn money and be more independent.

This is a common theme. There are stories the similar to this all over the Internet. It is interesting that all across the world terrible events have been happening, and they have become a catalyst causing women to be propelled forward. Women are becoming stronger everywhere through a traditional domestic activity like sewing. It would be interesting to see how future generations of women will benefit.

Video 2 Arpilleras

Share

Video 1 On Arpilleras

Share

Above are two videos in a five part series on the Arpillera's. The first video is more focused on the government practices and has some violent imagery including pictures of torture victims. The 2nd video is more focused on the Arpilleras, and the women's roles in creating them.

Arpillera Movement

The Arpillera movement began in 1973 when the Pinochet government came to power in Chile. If you were in the previous governments military or if you spoke out against the new regime you were in danger. During this time,thousands of people disappeared, and the new government would not answer to their whereabouts. Families would search the prisons and the torture centers for their missing children and relatives and could not find answers. With the help of the Catholic church the women turned to sewing in order to express their loss, make extra money, and make a powerful political statement at the same time. The Arpillera movement was born. Arpillera which means sack cloth, are sewn on burlap, and incorporated a variety of individualized styles. What made the situation unique was that while the women were very much in danger they did have a bit more freedom than men in protesting the government. This was because women were not considered to be a serious threat. Also the Arpillerists were being aided by the Catholic Church. The church was a protected institution in Chile. This is a fantastic example of the subversive sewing that I was talking about earlier, as well as sewing as a form of empowerment. The Arpillerists were using sewing as a way to send a direct political message. The Arpilleras were intentionally created to be media. View the Arpillera's http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/quilts/exhibit/chilean_arpilleras.html More information http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/Arpilleristas More Information http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/102799/chilean_arpilleras_threads_of_resistance.html

Names Project Quilt

This is my very favorite example of Sewing As Media. I adore the Names Project Quilt. The idea was formed by Cleve Jones in 1987 when the world was still learning about and still very much afraid of AIDS. What was unfortunate was that AIDS was viewed very much as a disease that was the product of sin so it was not getting the government support or recognition that it should have. The quilt was created as a memorial to commemorate the people that died of AIDS, ironically inspired by the murder of the San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk,(if anyone has seen the movie Milk that is who I am referring to.) Anyone can send in a 3 by 6 panel to the project, the only requirements are that the name of the person who died from AIDS is incorporated into the design of the quilt and the size of the panel must be 3 by 6. However, on looking over the panels, it seems people are not always including names. What is so staggeringly beautiful, is how personalized the panels of the quilt are. You can see so much of the individuality of people in the quilt. I am so moved by the stories behind them. It is so powerful because once you start really looking at the panels of the quilt you start seeing the lives behind the statistics, which is a very powerful message. The quilt takes the terrible disease and empowers people. It gives them a way to commemorate those they have lost and it becomes a very strong political message, just by existing.
http://www.aidsquilt.org/history.htm

In Sierra Leone A Women's Project For Women

Women that were abducted in Sierra Leone's civil war over diamond mines have been given an opportunity to start over through sewing. These women have been raped, abducted, and held captive for years. Some have been forced into marriages and have had the babies of their rapists. The war is now over but many of these women remain ostracized by their families because of what happened to them. An Austrian judge helped start the sewing school as a way of helping women gain independence. "When the women graduate from the program, their clothing is displayed and sold in a show at the Special Court. The women are given those proceeds, a sewing machine and $100 in seed money and sent back home to start their own businesses." (Los Angeles Times)

It is incredibly sad to me that these women have gone through years of being held captive, years of rape only to have their families reject them. It is upsetting to me because the raping of women to gain control has been going on since the beginning; so little really changes. Also, these women had to suffer partially because of the world's demand for Diamonds. After I saw the movie Blood Diamond, I never would want a diamond engagement or wedding ring unless I knew where it came from. However, as I look down at my fingers I count sixteen little diamonds, am I a part of the problem? I wish there was some sort of ethical standard that had to be marked on products, the equivalent of the surgeon generals warning so we would know, our purchase led this cow to suffer for years in a confined area, or that our purchase was part of an 8 year old girl working for 12 hours, etc. Someone I know was hired to insullate a veal farm and the baby cows were crying, he could not work on the inside of it, seeing all of their suffering. We buy meat every day and don't think of this. These animals are crying and scared, essentially many of them are tortured. We don't know how all of the little things we do can hurt others, our actions seem innocent but if the western world did not need diamonds would these women have suffered in the same way? I don't really know the answer; obviously there were problems in the country anyway.

I think this article shows how empowering sewing can be. These women are coming out of years of forced imprisonment and torture, but they can learn to sew and therefore get their lives back. They can gain independence. The Austrian judge that founded this program is a hero.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bush-wives1-2009sep01,0,1598357.story

Sewing Circles of Herat

On re-reading my intro to my blog, I mentioned subversive sewing and how sewing is does not get banned by the government, thus allowing people a freedom of expression through the medium of sewing. However, aside from the Bolivian prostitutes I have yet to mention much subversive sewing. This brings us to my favorite sewing topic, which is political resistance and sewing. Below is a link to a review of the book "The Sewing Circles of Herat". I must admit that I have not read the entire book; however, I did read the chapter dedicated to a sewing circle. For any of you that don't know too much about the Taliban, I will share a little of what I know. You see the Taliban had taken away so much from women, and really all of the people of Afghanistan. The Taliban would take away your father for example and say that they will torture and kill him if you don't come and torture and kill for us. How awful and what a position to be put in; any of us would want to save our families. Under the Taliban women had to be covered,and could not be educated; however,women were still allowed to sew. One man used the guise of a sewing circle to educate women in his home. Obviously, this was very brave, as he was risking torture and death. While this sewing circle did not actually sew and spent their time learning, I think it is worth mentioning because it shows how powerful the act of sewing can be. Because it is functional, it is protected.

http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Personal/Books/Lamb-Sewing-Circles-Herat/

Sewing Machine Incident .. Happy Halloween!!!

Share

Check out this Sewing Machine really getting into the spirit, all dressed up for the holiday.

Check Out The Very Spooky Video!!!

What's It All About?

I have been involved in a discussion about sewing tonight, and this idea of what it is all really been about. What makes sewing so unique as a form of media? What I believe, is that sewing, (unlike many forms of media) is something that people with very few money making skills are able to perform. It is a skill/trade that is creative, expressive, and marketable, and it gives people a way to amplify their passions for the world to see. Another beautiful thing about sewing is that it is widely available. You only need maybe $5 for needles and thread and a trip to a garage sale or a second hand store and you can get started. It is available to almost everyone. People in Iraq, China, Bangladesh and most far flung corners of the world are sewing. It is empowering. It gives the person that sews a voice. And isn't that what all of us want a chance to be seen, a chance to be heard? At first blush, this idea of passionate sewing may seem a bit far fetched, but I think we have seen some great examples of it so far and I hope to find a few more before our time together is over.

Sew Much Comfort

This is a story about a woman that began tailoring clothes for the troops. Her son had cancer and she had altered his clothes to fit over his hurt leg. Her son had suggested that she help the troops in the same way she had helped him after seeing the needs of the soldiers were similar to his own. Sew Much Comfort was born. There are now approximately 1,000 people (including prison inmates) throughout the country altering & designing clothes to meet the needs of injured soldiers. They are helping design clothes for people with amputations, burn victims etc. 9,000 items had been made at the time of the video. This is a thought provoking story, it is beautiful that this woman Ginger Dosedel is helping soldiers she does not know. It is wonderful that her son inspired her, but at the same time I think we have such a huge military budget, I don't think it should be necessary for people to donate their time to help burn victims get clothes over their heads. Why is the American Government not providing these items to the hospitals? I see media in a few ways through this story. The video shows that soldiers needs are not being met through the US Military, it also shows that there are a lot of people that are willing to remedy this. It speaks of patriotism and doing the right thing. The fact that there have been 9,000 items of clothing that were altered shows that there have been 9,000 altered lives as the result of the war. This is a sad sort of media.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12303651/ns/nightly_news_with_brian_williams-making_a_difference/


http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=2977470&page=1&page=1

Sewing Quilts of Compassion

Attached is a link to an article about a lady named Betty Nielson. While watching the news footage on Septmeber 11th, she was moved to do something for the surviving families. There was a quote from the article that I would like to highlight. “I kept thinking, ‘These poor families, what can I do?” Nielsen recalls. “Well, I know how to do one thing—I can sew a quilt.”

“When we make these quilts, we put everything into it,” she adds. “I put all my love into it. And when I give it to someone, that’s what I’m giving them—I’m giving them my love in that quilt. When they wrap it around themselves, there’s just so much warmth and comfort.”

The project evolved into the Freedom Quilts Project with 1,500 quilts being delivered to New York City.

This is complete media. These quilts tell you everything about the feelings surrounding September 11th, the desire to help and protect and the patriotism surrounding these events.

What I like about this is the idea of something beautiful coming out of something needless and terrible. Also, it really shows the connectedness of all of us. How many times through history has something happened, and someone is there thinking what can I do to help. Then they realize they can help because they can sew. People have been sewing for a cause for hundreds of years and it is still happening today.


http://www.americanprofile.com/heroes/article/2130.html

Lnk to the official web site
http://www.freedomquilts.net/

Stanford University Hosts Sew-in

Stanford University students organized a sew-in to protest sweat-shop garments being sold at their school. The protest was especially relevant as the students made quilts out of Stanford t-shirts.

Three cheers*** That is a fantastic example of sewing as media and good for them for taking such a creative stand.


http://www.stanforddaily.com/cgi-bin/?p=1024323

Are We Nothing but Living Machines?

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6539/

I really like this article it is an excerpt from the New york Sun from 1863. The author is asking are we nothing but living machines? She is writing about the long hours she works, the low pay she receives and women left behind while the men have to go to war. She answered an ad in the paper and was hired to make a dozen hats a day at a low wage. She took the job because she didn't want to starve. We could be reading about today. I really like the following quote from the article: "Are we nothing but living machines, to be driven at will for the accommodation of a set of heartless, yes, I may say soulless people...? They ought to read the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” But they are murderers that die on feather beds...."

This article is timeless.

HandUp Congo - 2 Sewing Machines

Share

I adore this video- it is the story of what happens when two sewing machines are brought to a village in the Congo. It reminds me of a children's story because it is so happy. It also makes me think about all of the tools that I have where I could do something amazing for others. I have a sewing machine but what does it give back? I guess though, anything we make instead of buy is sending the message that we are not supporting souless corporate entities that pollute the earth and give little back. It takes something ridiculous like one cup of pesticides to make one cotton shirt. Anything we can do that does not give money to organizations with these practices is good. I think in relation to media, these people becoming self sufficient through sewing is media, the clothes they wear that they made themselves and this video depicting it is media. I don't really know, but it is a lovely story, and it shows the difference all of our small actions can make for others.

I wanna live here

Share

This video is a fantastic example of sewing as media. The sewing itself and the fact that she won a film competetion with this entry. It is a commentary on homelessness and the housing shortage and while the act itself is not revoloutionary, the sewing certainly does send a message, in a very unique and creative way.

Sewing- Who Knew It Could Be So Funny?!

I had to post these because these jokes are so bad. They are not even remotely funny and really they have nothing to do with media either. But anyway I should lighten the mood after that masochistic sewing thing.


1. What do you call two needles?

2. What is a surge protector?

3. When is a fabric stash a collection?

4. A stitch in time saves how much?

5. What does a sewer say when she pokes herself with a needle?

6. When is a bad time to sew?

7. What is a seam ripper?

8. When is a mistake a designer touch?

9. How many sewers does it take to change a light bulb?

10. What does a sewer say on her deathbed?

Feel free to add some of your sewing-related jokes in the comments....

The answers: 1. Twin Needles. 2. A box that protects a serger. 3. When it gets out of control. 4. A stitch saves in time doesn't save any time. 5. "Ouch!" 6. Never. 7. Jack's cousin. 8. Mistakes are always designer's touches. 9. Only one because if a sewer can fix a sewing machine late at night she can change a lightbulb by herself. 10. "Just one more row before I go!"

anyway if anyone has any interest- the link to the blog that I credit these jokes to is below.
T.http://thelazymilliner.blogspot.com/2008/04/10-jokes-to-keep-you-in-stitches.html

Sewing as a Fetish

I guess sewing different parts of your body including your lips shut is a fetish. I never knew that. How does that really fit into Sewing as Media? I think that it does, even though I haven't really come up with the answer of what message that is sending. The bolivian women had a striaght forward reason, but the sewing body parts thing is really different and masochistic so that is probably why I don't really understand it. It is too far removed from what I do. I think it can look kind of cool on art posters but the actual pictures of what it really looks like I don't know. I found all of these crazy sights about how people felt like it was this deep kind of meditation not to be able to speak for 7 hours until they cut the threads off. I kind of get that because I think sewing is a kind of a meditative thing, as is not speaking. A friend of a friend went and took a vow of silence for the summer and lived with a bunch of monks and I guess the experience was really peaceful. The idea of pain making you feel alive and expressing it through sewing does send a message. Especially, if you run around all night all sewn up for everyone to see. Anyway, I am sure if anyone ever reads this that does actually sew themselves, they will probably think I have it all wrong but that's o.k. This person published a story all about sewing themselves. It's not super graphic. http://www.bme.com/ritual/A70202/ritaneed.html
Some Pictures of what that looks like
http://images.google.com/images?q=lips+sewn+shut&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&oe=utf8&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=hn7FSr_5OsXR8Abmt51G&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

Sewing= Passion?????????

What you sew indicates what you love, and tells the world where your passions are. Think of all of the times throughout the history of the world there was a woman sitting and just sewing buttons on shirts. Sure, it was done for utilitarian reasons but it was also done as a gift for their families. It was something you did because you care. You don't want your little kid running around without buttons.

In many ways, even if we don't sew ourselves, our passionate convictions are still expressed through sewing, our clothes become the message. Our clothes show how serious we are about our jobs, what we care about, and many times where our political affiliations lie. From the Nixon dress to the T-shirt from Peta, the clothes send a very direct message.

Prostitues in Bolivia Sew Lips Shut

2007-Bolivian Prostitutes have sewn their lips shut to protest the government closing the brothels. The brothels were closed due to political pressure from citizens though, prostitution was not illegal in Bolivia. Unfortunately, without work these women and their families may starve.