Kinderhes gemaakt van twee stofdoeken (a) met een losse gehaakte ceintuur (b) c. 1947

Here is a child's waistcoat made from two dishtowels with a separate crocheted belt, made by Harmina Catharina Baruch-Ponstijn. I love the ingenuity of this little garment. The maker has taken these humble domestic materials and transformed them into something new. You know, painting and sewing aren’t so different. There's something incredibly tactile about both practices. I can almost see Harmina at work, carefully selecting the fabric, piecing it together, adding the crocheted belt – each stitch a deliberate act of creation. And what was she thinking when she made it? Was it a gift for a loved one, a way to pass the time, or something else entirely? There's a conversation going on here, not just with the materials themselves, but with the history of craft and the countless other makers who have transformed the everyday into the extraordinary. It's a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, and that even the simplest gesture can be filled with meaning.