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| Blue Bird Hand Bag made by Venaya Yaazie |
Life is a blessing.
In my life I have had many turmoils and many obstacles in my path, but thankfully I have endured and I have been blessed with a good life. I credit most of what I have and who I am to my maternal grandmother. I adore all that she is and all that she does. She is my muse and I devote my life to her.
The 'goodest' thing she share and taught me in life is to sew. As long as I can remember I seen my matriarchs enveloped in the ritual and process of sewing. As a young child I recall my maternal great-grandmother doing her sewing or in the sacred act of weaving. It is these memories that flood my mind, in turn I am inspired to create.
My family has always been 'recylcers'. Don't know if that is a word but I like it. Yes, so my matriarchs have always saved and reused, re-purposed items. One of these items is the cotton Blue Bird Flour sack. I recall them storing dried corn, beans and other foods in the sacks. Other time is seen how my grandmother used the sack to store her socks and scarves. And it was'nt just he sack itself, but the cotton thread (string) used to sewn the back closed. My great grandmother used it as means of wearing her turquoise earrings, and she would use the string when some young person had their ears pierced.
It is these acts of re-purposing that I have come to make my Blue Bird Handbags (BBHB) I really first started designing and making these bags in 2008 and since then have made literally hundreds of them . I 've some them all over the west and some of my BBHBags have made to Scotland and London! I make these bag in honor my matriarchs and their dedication to the women's community of sewing handmade things.
I have even made bears and moccasins using the Blue Bird flour sacks. I will continue to make more and am amidst sewing as I prepare for the Indigenous Fine Arts Market in Santa Fe in August.
