Nationale feestrok van Annemie Boissevain 1946

This is a skirt, a ‘Nationale feestrok’, made of patchwork, with multiple colours and textures. I'm imagining the anonymous artist handling the cloth, piecing it together. What was she thinking? Looking at it, I’m struck by how she brought together all these small pieces to make something whole, something beautiful. It's like she's having a conversation with all the patterns: floral, checked, paisley, all sewn together to create something new. You can see it's been worked on, adjusted, and reconsidered. The different patterns, the way the seams are sewn, all of it gives it a certain energy, a kind of liveliness. It reminds me of the quilts of Gee's Bend— how women took scraps of fabric and made them into incredible works of art. I wonder if she was thinking about other makers, other women, as she was stitching this skirt? It's a reminder that artists are always in conversation, that we're always building on what's come before. It's full of uncertainty, of not knowing exactly how it's going to turn out.