#piecework

This is a poem in this series of 144 poems that I’m writing based on the dodeks, or twelfth parts, of the Zodiac signs. As far as I know, everybody else calls them dodekatemoria, but that’s a very complicated word to say, so I just call them dodeks. This series is for Patreon supporters only. Virgo of Leo: Piecework 2° Leo 30′ to 4° Leo 59′ The turner has his lathe set up for pawns;someone is…

Food & Wine staffers have really strong opinions about jigsaw puzzles. When asked, responses ranged from “I finished a puzzle last night” to “hate them with a passion.” For me, the biggest puzzle I’m usually willing to tackle is the challenge of piecing together random pantry items into something resembling a weeknight meal. That said, if the puzzle art is compelling enough, I’m excited to give…

A)Got its memories erased before the start of book 1

B)Dehumanizes and degenders all other cyborgs by calling them "it" with no regard to their own identity

C)Thinks murdering other cyborgs is totally fine and great

D)Peicework referred to them all as having been murdered. Murderbot spends most of book 1 refering to all meatshield cyborgs as murderbots.

So today I sat down to deconstruct+make a pattern from it.

Farwell, horrible 2012-esque galaxy print.

And hello to the new piecework frankenbag!!!

I don't really know how to express all my feelings about how it makes me feel beyond being seen as someone who has these hobbies for enjoyment and self expressions. It's sort of deeply feminist, simply because it's centering pursuits primarily seen as women's work or hobbies and the women who make these little pieces of art in their spare time or as a means of income. It discusses history in a way that centers the women who made and designed these tiny pieces of art and sees them as deeply important in ways women of history seldom get to be.

In a lot of ways, Piecework is a love letter to all these different little arts that might not merit their own magazine, but are deeply fascinating in their own right. It sees these things as art worthy of being discussed, means of income and fundraising, and important reflections of life in different time periods. It reminds us that many of these arts are still being practiced, even if they aren't common. And I think it reminds us why we do what we do, because it brings a little bit of beauty into our everyday life.

Everyone in history sewed to some degree, if only to mend their own clothes. However, women frequently elevated it into decoration and expression that makes it more than just functional, but into an art form that we're only now starting to appreciate on an institutional level.