Knowledge System, A Memoir (book cover)

2019-2025
Repurposed custom-made cotton dresses, cotton batting, embroidery floss, ribbon, watercolor, coffee
7’11” x 5’8”

This piece began as an effort to repurpose old clothing into a quilt while learning sashiko, the centuries-old Japanese mending technique, extending the embroidery and darning skills I learned as a child. The fabric came from personal uniforms I designed and wore from 2012–2018—A-line dresses with ¾ sleeves and large patch pockets, functioning as much like aprons as dresses. I cut them apart, reassembled them into a large rectangle, stitched them sashiko-style, and added cotton batting and a back panel. I had planned a linear grid but instead began stitching a pelvis—a process of soul repair after hip replacements in 2015 and 2016. The work evolved into a diaristic composition with an anatomical heart, abstracted hair, a vertical tree trunk, and text.

Photography by Chris Young