MFAM Week 6: Diwali Days

It's week six of the My Favorite Art Museum series, and this week I'm on time! Amazing, I know.  With Diwali coming up, I thought now would be a good time to look at the Nelson's collection of Indian sculpture. (Confession: Diwali starts on November 3, and I was going to work on this project the week before, but I mixed up the dates and didn't realize my mistake until midnight last night. Whoops...)

The Nelson's collection features a variety of gods and goddesses, as well as representations of several myths. As with the Greek/Roman and Chinese collections, I was drawn to the sculptures' intricate details. The sculptures feature include gently draped fabric, ornate jewelry, and clothing that is definitely not safe for work.

"What do you mean this doesn' t comply with the company's dress code?"

Obviously, I can't really copy the goddess's outfit (that would be a very different blog...), but I can draw on her style. Walking through the Indian galleries, I noticed the way the figures' garments draped across their bodies like stripes. I could work with that. I also noticed the way the gods and goddesses accessorized. Each wore ornate belts, arm bands, necklaces, and earrings. I could work with that too.

For this week's project, I chose a large remnant of a burgandy and teal stripped fabric, a small decorative plate, and a broken necklace (not pictured).

Fabric detail.

Yep. I'm going to wear this plate.

I used the remnant to create a wrap similar to the one you see in the diagram below. I cut arm holes (dashed lines), leaving several inches at the top of the fabric to act as a collar. Then, I finished the edges.

Not to scale. Click to view larger diagram.

To create the belt, I cut the butterflies off of the plate and  linked them all together and added the broken necklace chain to the mix. Then I attached the belt to the wrap, so that the belt was keeping the wrap from slipping off or fluttering around too much. (Better directions for the belt and wrap can be found on my blog.)

Belt making.

I paired my new wrap/belt combo with my favorite jeans, a black sweater, and black boots. Not really an outfit you'd want to wear in India, but it's perfect for the chilly Midwest.

MFAM Week 6: Indian Art

Can you believe we're already moving on to week seven? We're almost to the end! Don't forget to check back next weekend for the next MFAM installment, and remember, please don’t touch the art.

- Elizabeth
aka The Hungry Octopus

Now blogging at www.TheHungryOctopus.com!