Elizabeth Stewart I

These are some photographs of Elizabeth Stewart's 'My Own Private Ohio' which is currently on exhibit at Edinburgh College of Art.

"I think of My Own Private Ohio a process piece. I digitally manipulated, collaged and printed my own old family photographs to create the hand sewn appliquéd circular patterning. It was quite an intense process….many hours of  sewing involved. I didn't want it to end!
I immersed myself in this project while visiting and sitting with my Mom in Ohio where I grew up, a few months ago now. This area is known for it’s large Amish community. There I found the base for this piece, an amish dress. Ironically, the Amish do not believe in any decoration in their dress, not even buttons as they are believed to be too worldly. It was a wonderful way to delve into my fascination for the ‘mythical’ family images, nostalgia and memory."  Elizabeth Stewart

Garments often, as discussed previously on this blog, embody their wearer; in that they take on the form of that person's body shape and movement, they become worn in response to that persons activity and hold their unique smell. I love the way that Elizabeth's 'My Own Private Ohio' dress has become a canvas of her family, her history and also the way in its construction it also holds the influence of traditional Amish quilting.