Dirty Denim Project 6: Weeks 7, 8, & 9

Week 7

November 15, 17, 18, 19

I cut and sewed some glittery fabric this week. This picture is meant to show the glitter imbedded in my jeans.

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Week 8

November 22, 24

The week of Thanksgiving was my final week working within a laundry room; our shop moved into a closet across the hall. This move fell at almost exactly the three year anniversary of me working at this job. If you would like to know what it’s like to work a few feet away from constantly running washers and dryers for three years, my advice is: don’t. When I first started working in that room, the shop occupied about 1/4 of it, and by the end we were 3/4. I asked a while back about the possibility of moving the washers and dryers, knowing it was nothing but a pipe dream, and got a firmly negative response from my then-manager. When I mentioned it to my current manager, she at least explored the option before we got another answer of no, and a few weeks later, she suggested that we move instead. The closet is smaller, but it is not a laundry room. Everyone thought it was the sounds that bothered me, but it was the smells most of all.

I planned to write a tribute to the laundry room, on the occasion of leaving it, but I did not; during this three week period, I have felt like words have escaped me.

Instead, I painted.

This is a copy of a Levi’s ad from the 1970s. The secret to it looking like a decent art piece is not putting it side by side with the original. There were some pretty racy ads in the 1970s, especially for denim, but I chose this tame one. I imagine this blue jean lady to be in her 30s. Maybe she was fun once, but in her older age, when she needs glasses to read, she likes to wear basic jeans. There are lots of words about these particular jeans in the real ad, but I have no patience for forming letters (see the few letters I did include) and left them out of my interpretation.

The jeans were the last thing I painted. Starting with her skin and facial features, I got a little frustrated. I was even more frustrated when working on her shirt. I kept on telling myself that she was nothing without her jeans, and it would all come together once I painted them, and that turned out to be the truth. She really needed the contrast of some deep blue jeans to pop out from her background. Still, my favorite part about this painting is the yellow base.

I attended one dress rehearsal in my jeans, sitting in a red velvet seat that many others have sat in before me, and still not regretting that I have yet to wash my jeans.

I also began planning what I will make with the scraps of my selvage denim. It is still just a thought, and won’t be implemented until the new year.

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Week 9

November 29, 30 & December 1, 3

This was my first week working in our new closet space. It is a smaller room, but it is not a laundry room; it is a costume shop only. On the first day, the lighting was minimal, and every day after that until Friday, the lighting increased just a little. I’m not sure what it is about changes in lighting affecting my moods, but I could feel that relationship strongly all week. These were days of change, which is hard, yet at the same time, I am feeling impatience at the lack of change in my jeans. All of the pictures of my jeans hanging from the same belt loop, day after day, all look basically the same. There is some comfort to be had in the constance of my jeans, but no inspiration for my writing.

On Monday, I went to a first rehearsal of an upcoming production, and measured a bunch of actors. This required me to kneel on one knee for some of the measurements, and I was aware of that action and how it could affect my jeans. I think I was favoring my right knee, which is something I likely trained myself to do after injuring my left one last year (and mistakingly leaning on it a few too many times before it was healed). My assistant complimented one of the actors on her jeans. Up until this moment, I was feeling like jeans, for their ubiquitousness, are a mostly uncomplimented garment. But, these were younger people, wearing and appreciating trendy jeans (they were Levi’s).

Day 30 Check-In

Thankfully, the measurement of the waistband did not increase from day 20. I’m hoping it holds steady at 28.75”. I measured an increase of .5” in the hips (of the jeans, not me). My jeans continue to be comfortable, more so every day. I had a strong urge recently to get rid of all of my other jeans. I just don’t feel as authentically myself in other denim.

In water conservation, I began attempting not to flush the toilet after every use. My goal is every other time, but I continue to be imperfect in my efforts. Also, no part of my bathroom sink leaks anymore. This is a long and stupid story, so I will only mention its eventual success.