The Needle and the Pen: a Retrospective on Eighteenth Century Life, Consumerism, and Dress in Relation to Modern Garment Production

Within the realm of feminist scholarship of history, it has been said that human stories can be told as effectively with the needle as with the pen -Serena Dyer Throughout history, craft deemed women\u27s work has been undervalued on all levels but aesthetic. Gendered creative practices have been the focus of dress and craft historians; and such works have begun to reverse the emphasis of women as simply consumers and instead push forward the narrative of women as creator and producer. I strive to make work that is both aesthetically pleasing and informative. Textiles reflect the human experience, weaving linear narratives into a cloth of life. Garments of the past peek into the life and society of an individual in a specific time, exploring the handcraft of anonymous women who made them. I find that the process of recreating a historical garment, or attempting a craft that had been practiced in the past, brings history to life. Allowing oneself to be connected to their ancestors through creative implementation, threads connections between the present and the past. Recreating history shows how those who lived before were real and normal people who often didn\u27t finish their seams