Sumi FOLEY

Sumi Foley

I love sewing. When I was a child, I learned to sew by watching my Grandmother. I used to imitate her when she was sewing.
Later, I became interested in needlework. My special interest is in making artwork out of Kimonos. Here is a story about why I started making artwork from Kimonos:

One day I stopped by my Grandmother’s house. She was putting a lot of Kimonos in a plastic bag and said “I don’t need these Kimonos.” I was immediately interested because these were fabrics I had always wanted to have. I asked her to give me all of them. Since that day, I have been an enthusiastic fabric artist.

I also love to use abandoned fabrics for my work. Each fabric has a beautiful design and color, even if it is abandoned. If I use the abandoned fabric in the right spot and the right way, it’s beauty stands out. It is very thrilling for me to transform old Kimonos and abandoned fabrics into beautiful artwork.

I think the same thing can be said about human beings. Each person has a wonderful talent. If we accept each person’s value in a right way, we will be able to create a wonderful society. This is the message expressed through my abandoned-fabric art.

My work is all hand done, because I want to express very fine lines and designs which I cannot express when I use a sewing machine. Although it takes many months to make a piece of art this way, I like handmade work.

We are just like every piece of fabric
Each has a different pattern
Each has a different color
Each has a different story
Through each life
let’s sew us together
nicely
carefully
and make a beautiful story
for the next generation.