Alterations

43"w x 64"h  

     Alterations was constructed almost entirely from my mother’s

old clothing, patterns, fabric, tape measures, and photo-graphs.  Alignment  marks from fabric selvedge  were enlarged, transferred to cloth, & sewn to the background fabric.The many printed elements are based on written instructions found on her clothing patterns. The border is a patchwork of her fabric & clothing segments, with an overlay of  measuring tapes and rulers. Photos of my mother, grand-mothers, and me, plus the sewing machine, were photo-transferred, fused and machine

stitched. Paper pattern sections were fused to silk then sewn to the quilt. I  printed a ‘selvedge’ tape, which reads “fiber content: 90% my mother’s clothing, fabric and patterns”, which is sewn onto the quilt.

MY MOTHER by Diane Savona

                 

  THE ILLNESS CAMPAIGN 

    (ea appr. 27”w x 26”h)             Medical Battle #1: Staff  

Medical Battle #3: Choices 

Medical Battle #2: History

Medical Battle #4:  Time

  

  This series chronicles the

hospitalization before my

mother's death.                     

      My quilts all have strong narrative elements, which require explanatory notes. As

  I’ve been cutting, dyeing and sewing my mother’s old clothing to create these pieces, I’ve

  attempted to use the language of the cloth to incorporate the story into the quilt itself. The tape

  measures, pattern  instructions and alignment markings allow the quilts to be read.

 

My Mother .....

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A Neatly Pressed Life

19”w x 56”h

Some people live full, rich lives; others are pressed by circumstance. This ‘life jacket’ tells the story of my mother’s life, from her earliest photo on a child’s woolen cuff, through her aproned adulthood, down the sleeve of her old age.

Reliquary

52"h x 16”w

This piece was constructed almost entirely from my mother’s old underwear, wig, religious items.

ALTERING OUR FAMILY FABRIC  

                   22”w x 27”h

This is the first quilt made after my mother’s death. My mother is the infant pictured in this photo, which I’ve altered to show her being held by her mother.

If you touch the scrolling images with the cursor, they will pause: