The Justice Jacket
How extraordinary! 😳
Firstly I just want to say a collective "Thank you," to everyone who has liked, followed & restacked my recent posts 🙏 I'm not sure why but I checked my account this morning & there were loads of notifications. What a lovely & hospitable bunch you all are ❤️
I would normally try & answer each comment but there really were too many! Gosh, I am overwhelmed.
It made me stop & think about what I should post next! People might actually read this stuff!
Maybe I should try & ignore that & plough on.
I picked one of my jackets. I was going to say "one of my favourites, " but I have so many. I do get very attatched to my work.
Last year my eldest daughter Mair gave me a jacket to stitch. I stitched various jackets for all my kids as they grew up but I had said I would love to stitch one for them now they are grown up. My "style" can be considered a bit over the top & not everyone can handle or wants all the attention they can cause.
Mair told me she wanted to find just the right ethically sourced jacket. So it was sometime before I finally got my hands on it.
I don't work to an overall design or drawings. I like pieces to evolve as I progress. It is almost a form of meditation to me, as I explained in a previous article (Slow vs Flow), I like to call my process "Flow Stitching."
It usually leads to a collage type piece, incorporating different elements & symbolism around the individual. I normally have to go through a "research" stage when stitching for clients, but as this was my own daughter that wasn't so necessary, as I could use my personal knowledge, which was even more fun! 🤭
I had to include a puffin! Mair's favourite bird. She used to wear this puffin hat as a kid. It makes me smile thinking about it. She has a fine collection of puffin "stuff." Mugs, pictures, books, figurines etc. We had an amazing trip to Skoma Island off the coast of Wales one holiday, where we walked amongst the puffin colony. Mair was so excited, a brilliant day & memory.
On the shoulders riding the knotwork waves is a Viking longboat. Mair's grandfather has a Scandinavian name. As a young man back in the 60s he built his own fishing boat. He sailed his boat across from Devon to a little harbour in Ireland. That's where he built his own home & became a salmon fisherman and later built a reputation for some of the finest smoked wild salmon you ever tasted.
The sail is a Maltese Cross in memory of her grandmother, also named Mair, who was born in Malta before the beginning of the 2nd World War.
The central figure on the back panel is Lady Justice, an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and a blindfold.
Mair has always had a strong sense of justice. Even as a teenager she was presented with The West Cork Garda (Police) Award for her contributions to her community. Normally you are nominated by just one local organization, as a measure of her commitment Mair was nominated by 8 different community organizations.
This carries on today, she currently works for UNICEF but is still involved in so many other voluntary bodies it is hard to keep up with all her various community projects. I am one very proud dad 😊
Around the celtic shield are the words "Bionn Silúlach Scéalach." There are various translations of this Irish phrase, one being "Travellers have tales to tell." Mair is always on the move, whether that is within Ireland or beyond. Usually with a purpose, as an Irish representative to COP or a union representative to the European Parliament in Brussels or on behalf of the YMCA, I am never sure where she'll be next. I believe she's off to a conference in Canada in a few weeks. On her return she will delight me with all her various stories.
Mair is a strong advocate for peace in Palestine, represented here with some Tatreez styled embroidery. She is also a natural bridge builder and puzzle solver.
Mair has always been fascinated by Egyptology. As a very young child she would recount the mythology of the ancient gods of Egypt and I included a version of her name here in hieroglyphics. The collar design is based on a combination of Egyptian & Celtic art.
There are more symbols "hidden" amongst the threads, she is often asked what does 1742 represent? Is it a date? No.
We both love a good riddle and even though I like to think I know Mair as well as anyone, she remains a unique & enigmatic individual, a modern day warrior and not everything is easy to understand.
I hope you have enjoyed my little tour through Mair's Tapestry.
"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." - Maya Angelou
