For my final for Integrative Studio 1, I began my thought process with the intention that I would make a garment with embroidery. I had been thinking a lot about my home, O’ahu, Hawai’i – Throughout the semester I had thought that I wasn’t homesick, but just remembering what I didn’t have here in New York. Through the fleshing out of my final project idea, I realized that I had missed ‘home’ very much. I began thinking that I would embody this wistfulness for home through embroidery of the flowers I had grown throughout the years in my yard.
I had sketched photos my mom sent of the flowers in our yard and practiced drawing the braided ti leaf I wore many times for hula
performances. This, I thought, would be the perfect way to embody my missing of home.
However, as I worked on and finished the body of the garment I realized that the robe I had been making was much more about the process, and how it wasn’t just the flora of my home that I was missing. The flowers and leaves that I planned to embroider were simply a surface level understanding of my homesickness. I brainstormed as I went on, and landed upon the idea of creating a video of the memories of home that had impacted and stayed with me the most. In combination of these two, I was able to embody my feelings toward home. When presented, the video would be projected onto the dress form wearing the robe. The shadow portrayed by the form would represent the emptiness and the ‘missing piece’ aspect of my homesickness. The piece of projection that would be on the robe would be the aspect of home that has impacted me greatly, and that stays with me wherever I go. The tiny words that were embroidered on the back, he mea nui ke aloha, literally mean “This great love” which is from my
Senior year hula performance in the court (of princesses of each island) from a song called Nohea Mu’olaulani. Something that will always remain with me. The two flowers embroidered on the bottom of the train represent my life at home and here in New York. The bigger one, representing my life at home and how I have grown and the smaller one representing my now blossoming life here in New York with the possibility to grow into something much larger than myself. The reason that this piece was handsewn was because my life doesn’t have a metaphorical ‘sewing machine’ to help me along. What I do, learn, and become is because of my metaphorical ‘handsewn’ ethic and work. I face each challenge and overcome obstacles, although with the help of others, ultimately on my own. This is represented through the hand stitching of the entire piece: hemming, body, and connection of pieces. This final manifested itself into an embodiment of my self and my story, my memories, and the inkling of possibility for the future.
This project came out better than I could have possibly imagined. I hadn’t sewn (or handsewn) anything – especially garments – for at least five years. It was a shot in the dark, but with the research and faith I had, I hoped and worked toward the best possible outcome. I’m extremely happy with the way it turned out, especially because hand stitching can turn out unexpectedly. I am also very glad 
with the fabric I chose. It is meant to embody the form of my graduation dress (a very prominent and important memory in my life) as well as the materiality of my first year on the Holokū court (very heartwarming and engrained memory). The belt I made for the piece, as well, represents a part of me that I really enjoy – hula. It is ‘braided’ in the way that I would braid kupe’e, which is a traditional (Kahiko) form of braiding ti leaf to adorn wrists and ankles. This form of braiding has been with me my whole life and is reminiscent of memories of dancing, being with my hula sisters, and performing with a very full heart. This braid as a belt literally embodies the connection I have to home, as well as what holds ‘me’ together. As a belt, it keeps things in place and the form visible, as a metaphor, it keeps me who I am, deeply rooted in my home. Along with the video, it truly represents my love and wistfulness for home. I am also incredibly with the video. I didn’t get to explain in critique, but the song ‘Akaka Falls, sings about the beauty of the waterfalls from the mountains. Many songs in Hawaiian speak in poetic language, usually alluding to more than the literal. In this song, the beauty of the land also relates to its people and the story of becoming. It’s a truly beautiful song and 
embodies my feelings toward my home. All of the video footage is taken from videos of home that I shot, or videos of me and my peers in moments of importance, like Graduation or Holokū.
This piece has been very cathartic. As I stitched the hours away, I listened to a playlist of home-y Hawaiian music I made, which was very relaxing, and reminded me that I would be home soon. I truly put all of myself into this piece, and it made me nearly emotional when presenting it. Not only was I proud of my piece technically – because I had not touched Premiere before this, nor had I sewn anything of this grandeur ever, or sewn for years before – but also because of the way my love for home and its beauty had, in my eyes, really come through. I want to thank Freya, my studio teacher, for allowing breadth on this final, so that I could come across this realization, and to really create something that I’m very proud of.
Link to video projected on top of garment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvko8cfsNk4&feature=youtu.be
