Aries

To paint a sky onto my cloth, I have chosen the Aries constellation.  It is located in the Northern celestial hemisphere between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. The name Aries is Latin for the ram, thus the astronomical symbol for Aries represents the ram’s horns.

The brightest star in the constellation Aries is Hamal, the α Arietis.  The name Hamal derives from the Arabic phrase rās al-ħamal, meaning “head of the ram.”  Thus Hamal locates the ram’s head within the constellation.  The second brightest is Sheratan, the β Arietis.  Its name comes from the Arabic phrase aš-šarāţān, which means “the two signs,” and refers to the vernal equinox, which the star marked together with the γ Arietis a few thousand years ago.  Mesarthim, the γ Arietis, is actually a triple-star system.  Then there are Botein – the δ Arietis, Bharani – the 41 Arietis, and the ε Arietis.

The embroidery technique utilized here is sashiko, meaning “little stabs”. This Japanese decorative stitching technique is remarkably similar to kantha, which is of Bangladesh and North Eastern India.  Traditional sashiko was used to reinforce points of wear and to repair worn places or tears with patches, making homespun and homemade clothes last longer. When the garments were worn out, they were pieced together to create a new piece of clothing. Sashiko uses running stitch to make geometric patterns of white threads on indigo-dyed cotton cloth.  The pattern used here is called the persimmon flower pattern, and the largest persimmon flower represents Hamal.  The Aries constellation embroidered onto the dress has 5 Arietis, while on the shirt, it has 4 Arietis.