limited options rope, wood, steel, fabric 84 x 84
This is a very large onesie (about seven feet by seven feet) that I made in my sculpture class. Ideally it would be installed in someone's yard, but I haven't found the right place yet.
There was a ton of work that went into this piece. Creating the clothespins weren't too difficult - just a bit of cutting and sanding the wood and bending, cutting, and welding some steel. But prior to making the onesie itself, I didn't know anything about sewing. Luckily my sister lent me her Singer and some literature on how to go about setting up the machine. I think I ended up putting in about 50 hours of sewing altogether. All the fabric came from Goodwill sheets and sweaters, and the buttons are round wooden display stands from Michael's that I stained.
If I can find the time and money I'd like to make several more of these, altering the color schemes and size of the patchwork to create a "platoon" of these onesies. The American flag on the right shoulder as well as the blue/green/purple patchwork is meant to partially mimic the digital camouflage uniforms that deployed troops wear these days. The patchwork is also referencing the practice of recycling garments - something perhaps more common with lower income families. Also referencing the poor is the penny-saving practice of drying clothes on a line .