Darning a Conversation

through our “French Grey”

A Work in Progress Installation, RISD Museum

“As I hold in my lap this “French Grey”, a fine example of a cotton twill weave work smock worn by teachers in 1920s France, and prepare my darning needle and thread, I marvel at the antique patina of the garment, created in part by the many different mends. Some darns are decidedly neat and tidy, while others seemed rushed and jumbled. Was this all done by the same hand, and great care was taken with each stitch when life was calm and easy, but not so when troubled or harried? Or had this garment been passed on to another and this is the work of not one, but two or perhaps multiple owners, each displaying their own signature? And how does my mend compare, both visually and metaphorically? With each pass of the needle through the twill, it feels as though I am sharing a dialogue with those that held this garment before me, and through this simple task we have all managed to stitch a little bit of ourselves, together, through this fine “French Grey”.”