Peacock Embroidery: a Restoration Story

Last summer Joaquina discovered a much faded grain sack at a barn sale in southern Oregon. Despite the advanced fading of the graphics, the intricacy of the beautiful peacock image was evident. Created in the early twentieth century, when great attention was given to logos and advertising images, even on mundane objects such as this, the grain sack begged to be restored to some degree of purpose. Thus was the inspiration for a project that called for embroidery stitching to bring the original printed image and lettering on the grain sack back to life. 

Whenever working with vintage textiles, care must be taken to preserve the fabric. In this case, the weave of the grain sack, which is made of thin muslin, is very fragile. The intricacy of the peacock design and the fragility of the muslin necessitated the use of single strand embroidery floss and a fine needle. Thread colors were chosen to match the colors of the original printed graphics. 

The #slowstitching process required over 36 hours to complete. Then came the extra embellishments: couched ric-rak, a large peacock feather applique, and a ruched strip along the bottom border. The entire piece was attached to a shibori-dyed background. Tiny holes in the grain sack are a testament to the age of the textile and were left unadorned. 

From its humble, utilitarian inception, to an abandoned fate in a barn, this simple grain sack has now become art. Transformation. That's what upcycling is all about.