Here is my Ransom Note Meets Religious Poetry skirt! The line along the hem is "All things counter, original, spare, strange," which is is from a poem by the 19th century monk Gerald Manley Hopkins. (I'll include the whole poem at the end of this post.
The letters were cut from T-shirts and appliqued on the ruffle, which was then sewn to the skirt.
The skirt was made from other T-shirts and features a pocket and an elastic waist.
Here are some photos from making it:
This project represents some growth for me as a maker because I generally only pick fast and easy projects, ones without repetitive tasks or fussy details. (For me, applique is repetitive and fussy.) But I asked myself: Why chose projects that as are close as possible to instant gratification? Why rush to the finish line instead of enjoying the process? So I decided to give myself permission to set it aside and come back to it if I wanted to. (I didn't want to.) I let myself tackle something more involved. And it's one of the favorite things I've ever made. :)
Pied Beauty
by Gerald Manley Hopkins
Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;
And àll tràdes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
