FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Miss Rumphius – The Lupine Lady
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographers and supporters of my creativity: Svetlana Mailinina and Steven Rauch
Outline the story …
I teach Children's Literature for a small community college, so it was natural for me to choose a children's book for my inspiration. "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney is a tale based on a true story about a young girl whose grandfather, an artist who carved wooden figurheads for sailing ships, tells her it is important to do something in her life to make the world more beautiful. As an adult, after traveling around the world, Miss Rumphius settles in a house in Maine by the sea and when she is an old lady, she realizes that flowers make her world more beautiful, so she decides to distribute lupine flower seeds as she walks around her village to fulfill her grandfather’s most important advice. I can relate to the story of Miss Rumphius because I am 63, and after traveling all around this country with my vintage 1974 Airstream caravan, I have had to stay put here in Maine, as travel is dangerous because of covid-19. I have learned to be very content here with my husband and pets in our tiny cabin, in which my husband built me a marvelous new sewing room! Sewing, and particularly this project, has kept me happily engaged in the creative process. Sewing has been a real life-line for me through this winter – the first winter I have spent in the cold for about 15 years! Normally we’d be in New Mexico or Arizona as soon as the leaves turn in the fall.
Outline the construction…
I crafted Miss Rumphius’s cape and skirt out of wool and the blouse is cotton. Most long seams were sewn by machine, but nearly all seam finishes were done by hand. During the course of a little over a month, I looked forward to working in my sewing room every day and gave intense focus to designing, constructing, and most importantly, revising my plans. Each of the three pieces in this costume have undergone alterations throughout the process, all of which pushed me to undertake new skills, including:
• Better time management. Avoiding setting deadlines for myself that cause me to make decisions I don’t like; feeling that I have all the time in the world allows me to undertake harder options and not flinch about undoing seams
• I worked on all 3 garments at the same time, working until I met a challenge that needed rethinking, then moving to the next piece This approach had worked well for me in oil painting and I was pleased to discover it transferred well to sewing!
• Learning to love # 10 sharps and to relax and enjoy hand sewing, thanks to Bernadette Banner!
• Cotton lace insertion on the blouse
• Figuring out how to make buttonholes
• Using vintage trims from a nearby antique shop
• Using tarleton to line my skirt
• Flexible thinking and using what I had in my stash (all the fabric, vintage shell buttons, cotton interfacing, thrifted silk ties for the skirt seam binding).
That cape is absolutely stunning! Lovely lovely work all around! And I had forgotten about this story, I’m going to have to get a copy for my littles!
Thank you so much Katherine! This has been a labor of love and I learned so much. Do seek out the book because it’s wonderful!
This is beautiful and everything is incredibly well balanced aesthetically! Great work!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Your comment about my costume being aesthetically balanced really resonates with me, as this is an important aspect of my creative work.
You’re very welcome as it is well beyond deserved!
A lovely book! You certainly do this lovely character justice. The insertion is beautiful but the cape is really a wonderful piece of work!
Jean,
Thank you! If you know the book, you can see I took a bit of artistic license, especially with the cape. But I love it and will wear it often. I love the insertion lace blouse and skirt as well. The skirt is so warm and perfect for Maine winters.
I love all the insertions on the shirt, so pretty. Also, I just want to say your hair is gorgeous!
Hello Milady,
Many thanks! I’m really pleased with the insertion lace! Oh, and thanks for your comment about the hair, which is a wig and I love it too!
One of my favourite children’s books and you brought her to life so vividly! (If she lived in our days I could absolutely see her with lupine-coloured hair, too.)
Hello Sparrow
Thank you! I actually never realized that it was lupine-colored hair, but of course you are right!
the skirt is great, the cape is stupendous and the whole ensemble pours out of badassery. I love it !!
Camille,
Badassery is exactly what I was going for, so it’s very cool that you got that. Many thanks!
Oh my goodness – this book was a staple of my childhood. Your transformation of the story is truly incredible. Your story about traveling and now having to stay put makes this project come to life even more. I wish I could meet you in person to witness your awesomeness firsthand! Amazing job.
Alice,
This book is great and it was perfect for a winter project while grounded on the Maine coast! I’m so pleased you like it!
I love the personal connection that you have with the story, and how it was able to bring you joy through this project during the long winter months! This is a wonderful outfit, I particularly adore the cape and the shirt with all the lace insertions! Lovely! And, are those sanquhar gloves? I’ve wanted to knit a pair myself but don’t have nearly enough skill, I’m impressed!
This is gorgeous! <3 Well done 👏