Kill Your Darlings

Carpet of Life

A story on how Craftscurator ended up destroying her creations and shipping them off to Morocco. What not many of you know, is that before I became a designer of home wares, I was a fashion designer. I went to art school, fell in love with textiles and graduated with a collection of 10 outfits for women. (And, as is to be expected, an essay on trend watching)

The collection was entirely handmade; I even created most of the materials myself. I spent hours on felting wool, pouring liquid rubber and applying coatings to fabrics. Not to mention the blood, sweat and tears I spilled sewing the clothes. But in the end my collection was received well and worthy of a diploma.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon 2 weeks ago I picked up a pair of scissors and cut up the creations I had made years ago. I also cut up the dress I wore when I was six, my grandmother's hand embroidered tablecloth and the shirt I wore when my mother died. After bundling, weighing and packing the fabrics, I shipped them off to Morocco.

Why did I destroy my creations and the clothes I love? To have an even more interesting creation made: my Carpet of Life. Using the scraps of fabric I sent, women in the town of M'Hamid will make a carpet. A handmade, custom-made carpet for me to enjoy for years! My friends of the Butterfly Works studio set up this project and are creating work opportunities for women in Morocco. In the next 2 months, I will share pictures and stories on how my carpet is made. Can't wait to see it!