Victor's Coat

 Once there was a man, a man who lived on an island in the Salish Sea. His name was Victor, and he was a true Southern gentleman, full of warmth and wit and song. He came from Tennessee, and lived in a little house with his beautiful wife Joelle.

I felt lucky to know him, and every time we met I was reminded that the world was a better place because of Victor's presence. When he died, the whole island was bereft.

Joelle gave Victor's overcoat to my partner Alex. By then it was spring, and he put the coat away in a cupboard. When it turned cold again, he went to get it and found that moths had been dining on the fine cashmere. Such a precious coat deserved some tender loving care. I got my needle and thread, and began mending. Those were some very hungry moths.

One of the songs he was known for singing was George Gershwin's joyful "I've Got Rhythm." I added a line from that song to the fabric.

Victor's email address was "victorsez@*****.ca" I envisioned the coat covered with the unique expressions that he was known for, and asked the community for input, things they remembered him saying. 

As the words are added the coat is transformed from a plain, functional garment to the embodiment of memory. I will have the coat on display at my upcoming show (Triple Thread, with Barbara Klunder and Tawny Maclachlan Capon), and hope that some small magic will allow us to feel Victor's presence among us again.

Note: Every little stitch covers a hole. I used a multicoloured sock yarn for the stitching. There were a few areas that were completely chewed through, so I did reverse appliqués, using scraps of a cashmere shawl for the patches.