I am what I am and I am nothing
This piece is inspired by the song “Pulldrone,” by Ethel Cain
The base of this piece is a thrifted white button-up shirt, cropped to remove the length and sleeves. I wanted to incorporate the rings on the front of the original shirt into the theme of my final design, so I began free-handing crochet stitches into the rings with mohair. This was a lengthy process to achieve an asymmetrical drape that has a natural “drippy” quality that maintains intentionality. In other words, I wanted it to look messy, but not sloppy. To balance the asymmetry, I used a black cotton yarn to give depth to the left side, knowing the right would bear more text.
I hand embroidered the words on the front as well as the Ring on the back, laying threads repeatedly to achieve the vacillating look of Ethel Cain’s iconic symbol. I used the same thread and a tiny crochet hook to finish the raw, cropped edges of the shirt. Although this type of finishing would more traditionally done with a needle, the crocheted edge mimics the drape on the front of the shirt more effectively. At the time these photos were taken, I had yet to finish the bottom edge of the back, but it has since been done in the same way as the sleeves.
The original shirt was missing all of its buttons, so I reinforced the inner edges with white bias tape, then used a grommet setter to install vintage eyelets in place of the original buttons. I sourced a secondhand chain that was delicate enough to compliment but not compete with the crocheted panels on the front. I trimmed the chain to even lengths, installed lobster claw fasteners, and threaded each one through the eyelets.
To finish the piece, I diluted paint in water and fabric softener then dipped the corners of the collar into the mixture, inking them one at a time. I hung the piece upside down to drip dry.
