Make Do and Mend | Michéle Fandel Bonner
Make Do and Mend, Michéle Fandel Bonner (Marblehead, MA).
March 2017. Found sweaters, quilt tops, denim, yarn.
Investigating intricacy in moth-eaten sweaters, unfinished quilts, and drafty windowpanes, Bonner’s work follows the smallest details of form and function to celebrate possibility in all things. What was once worn or forgotten can become useful, beautiful, and with a story to tell. Engaging traditions of mending, maintenance, and assembly, Bonner explores the domestic practice of making do.
Works made during her stay include Sweaterlet, Window Quilt, Fixing holes Where the Weather Gets in, Collection S/S 2017 and 2nd Floor Shower Curtain.
Sweaterlet
Bonner joined sweaters made unwearable by moths into a puzzle quilt. Joining ribs and overlapping arms, she stitched the garments together in such a way that each remains visibly recognizable. Revitalized in this new form, the sweaters once again offer warmth and comfort.
Photo credit: Eve Goodby
Window Quilt
This piece arose as a collaboration between Bonner and the original maker of a half-finished quilt she found in the collection. Partnering with a local NC textile artist, Bonner repaired the quilt’s missing holes—windows that honor the piece’s original fabricator, unfinished past, and usable future.
Shower Curtain
Fixing Holes Where The Weather Gets In, Collection S/S 2017, and Cocoons
