Boro Yogi Update: It's Done!

Well, it's done. Into the laundry last night, hung to dry overnight, a few shreds trimmed, and it's done. And by 'finished', I mean that the two fronts are lined with a patchwork of scraps. And so this is now what the inside looks like:

The fronts and sleeves are thus now four layers of cloth thick: a foundation cloth (hidden both inside and out), an outside base that was woven into and patched (making this layers two and three) and then this patched lining cloth.

I didn't stick with found cloth on this lining. This is all second hand, and each piece is more personal. Some of the plaid flannel is old sleep pants from the guy who lives here, the batik (brown on the right hand sleeve) is part of a napkin I bought at the Goodwill, the emerald green is shantung silk I got second hand. I just basted these on a piece at a time, holding the whole garment in my lap, smoothing each piece and adjusting until it 'fit'. I discovered pins were not useful doing this part- I just needed to work with each piece and the foundation until they worked together properly. I overlapped the edges an inch or so in most spots.

This is the outside back. As you can also see, I completed the sleeves, both inside and out, with a base cloth over the foundation which I then wove into and patched. The inside of this back is not yet lined, for two reasons. First, because it just might not need it. It is three layers thick now, and the foundation cloth is quite sturdy (it was a new second hand scrap of some kind of heavy cotton). The second reason it is not lined is that the back is translucent- meaning that I will have to line it with white, or the colours will show through. So I'm still deciding what to do with this. I am going to start using it for now, and see what happens.

And finally, this is a close up of one of my favorite parts, built up with two cloths 'full' of holes (the grey brown on the right and the sun faded blue on the left), holes I just filled in with other small bits.  I love how it looks abraded and worn away.

That's the outside front above. And so now the boro yogi will go on the bed and be the blanket it is meant to be. But it is always ready to travel, too:

I'm ready to start something new for the new year. I started this on January 1 2012. It's a very exciting prospect. I have a found quilt (a 'Dresden Plate' pattern) that I want to work with, so it is on my mind in quiet moments what it might be best to become. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Rag of the Day December 01 2012

December 1, 2012 under the Horton Street bridge. Poly/Cotton blend from polyester-stuffed duvet that has been stuck in the mud here since at least August.

Other side of the above. This side had some tender small roots grown through it.

For comparison, the red I found today beside the red I found in the same place some months ago. The stiched piece above is a close up view of the red patch on the front of the boro yogi/dragon robe. I'm struck by the difference. The original red is more yellow, the new is more blue. And it makes a huge difference.

November 29, 2012, L and PS tracks at Bathurst Street. Really jammed up against the track. Probably from a quilted garment of some kind, there is a wisp of polyester fill caught in a line of stitches on one piece. Seems like a rayon blend of some kind, but I can't quite tell. Blue, full of holes, some from sparks, rust marks. Survived washing and being pressed dry.

Just a catalogue and process entry today, to keep track of the dates. Also, to note that I've discovered that I can take small parts of items too large to carry home or that would be impossible to launder properly (like 'sleeping bags that have been underwater in the river' or 'blankets embedded in mud for months') by poking a hole in it with my house key. I can tear segments of the cloth using this method. It leaves most of the item behind, and I only do this when the item is too far gone to recover whole, if there's no chance someone else could use it, or if it is home to 'wildlife' (by which I mean insects settled in for the winter!).

Thanks for stopping by!