The Seamstress is a witty and inventive sculptural work that celebrates the craft of dressmaking itself, transforming the technical tools and instructions of sewing into a playful, self-referential costume that honours the maker's art.
Constructed entirely from vintage sewing pattern paper, this piece is distinguished by its clever use of the pattern envelope's back panel as the bodice—the very measurement chart that would guide a seamstress in selecting her size now becomes the dress itself. Dense columns of numbers, sizing conversions, and multilingual instructions ("Longueur de la taille," "Longueur de la jupe") cover the torso like typographic decoration, turning data into design. This meta-approach winks at the viewer: the information meant to create clothing has become the clothing.
Below, a generously pleated skirt fans out in soft accordion folds, providing elegant volume and movement. But what truly distinguishes this work is its playful abundance of scissor motifs scattered across the composition—multiple pairs of the dressmaker's most essential tool appearing like decorative flourishes, embellishments, or perhaps a knowing joke about the act of cutting and construction. These scissors become almost talismanic, symbols of creative power and transformation.
Presented in a sophisticated black frame with dark matting, The Seamstress is both homage and humour, celebrating the intelligence, skill, and creativity of women who could conjure entire wardrobes from paper patterns and fabric, armed with nothing more than scissors, thread, and vision. There could be no mistaking the paper that this is created from.
The Seamstress is a witty and inventive sculptural work that celebrates the craft of dressmaking itself, transforming the technical tools and instructions of sewing into a playful, self-referential costume that honours the maker's art.
Constructed entirely from vintage sewing pattern paper, this piece is distinguished by its clever use of the pattern envelope's back panel as the bodice—the very measurement chart that would guide a seamstress in selecting her size now becomes the dress itself. Dense columns of numbers, sizing conversions, and multilingual instructions ("Longueur de la taille," "Longueur de la jupe") cover the torso like typographic decoration, turning data into design. This meta-approach winks at the viewer: the information meant to create clothing has become the clothing.
Below, a generously pleated skirt fans out in soft accordion folds, providing elegant volume and movement. But what truly distinguishes this work is its playful abundance of scissor motifs scattered across the composition—multiple pairs of the dressmaker's most essential tool appearing like decorative flourishes, embellishments, or perhaps a knowing joke about the act of cutting and construction. These scissors become almost talismanic, symbols of creative power and transformation.
Presented in a sophisticated black frame with dark matting, The Seamstress is both homage and humour, celebrating the intelligence, skill, and creativity of women who could conjure entire wardrobes from paper patterns and fabric, armed with nothing more than scissors, thread, and vision. There could be no mistaking the paper that this is created from.
Dimensions: 28cm x 23xm x 6cm Materials: Vintage sewing pattern paper, dyes, archival mounting
Care: Keep away from direct sunlight to preserve the vibrant colors
