Embroidered Collar c. 1937

Marie Famularo made this *Embroidered Collar* on paper using watercolor and graphite. I can imagine her bent over the page with her fine brush, carefully mapping out the small white botanicals, tiny leaves and flowers, all the way around the scalloped edge of the collar. The care and attention here are palpable, aren’t they? It feels like a gesture of love, both for the person who might wear such a collar and for the practice of making itself. You can see this comes from a real place of interest. Marie was so immersed in this close work that she was able to freely investigate a space of her own. And there’s something so charming in the slightly hesitant lines of the pattern, like watching someone learn as they go. I feel like Famularo and I are in conversation, her careful lines inspiring me to pick up a pencil and follow where it leads.