Leslie Ramyk

Artist Statement

For 30 years I lugged around a West German Pfaff 1471 sewing machine, resenting its actual and metaphorical weight. A "gift" from my mom (really just her offcast), laden with expectations. Then I stumbled on improvisational quilting. No patterns, no rules. Using deconstructed thrifted clothing as fabric, I found the old Pfaff extraordinarily good at piecing together fragments of color and texture. The pleasure of discovering that sewing felt right, felt familiar, remembering techniques without knowing how.

My young grandmother left Ukraine for Chicago around 1919. Her seamstressing supported a small family; her old Singer taught her daughter and her daughters. But I didn’t want what they had, I wanted more.

Their gifts to me were patient. They waited while I healed, until my resentments softened enough for curiosity to peek through. The Pfaff, the muscle memory, had been there the whole time. Not for Butterick skirts but for exploration, discovery, phenomenal failures and unexpected grace.

As a textile artist, my work is the thread that connects me to my grandmother and mother. What was tenuous and troubled is now beginning to ply.