Let's make a mix tape!

Recently Alela Diane's album 'To Be Still' has been playing on repeat on my stereo. Apart from the beauty of the music itself, I realised that my obsession might be something to do with the sewing imagery in her lyrics:

The strong spines of valley hills all overgrown in gold

Look softer than a spool of old silk thread

['Grass and Shadows']

I think about the ladies who weren't allowed to sing

Sewing all their pretty rows of thread instead of seed

['The Alder Trees']

Tatted lace frail figure graced

That has since been torn and stained

And put so far away

Oh! So far away

['Tatted Lace']

Mary Van Note posted a comment on one of my previous posts that cited Alela Diane as its soundtrack, saying that she was also listening to Alela Diane as she read it. We got talking by email and I asked her if she could think of any other contemporary songs with sewing imagery in them. She mentioned Joanna Newsom (another musical love of mine, and I believe she's pals with Alela Diane...?), in particular 'Sawdust and Diamonds' which references crafting (or maybe taxidermy?!):

And the little white dove

Made with love, made with love

Made with glue and a glove and some pliers

Maybe we could put our heads together to compile a sewing mix tape! The blogosphere has connected me with lovely, creative people from all over the world, none of whome I've ever met, all with the same passion - wouldn't it be great to all be stitching to the same soundtrack (wearing our sewing machine necklaces!)?.

There seem to be lots of old blues and folk songs about the hardship of working in clothes factories or old grannies burdened with darning socks, but I think we should skip those (unless you know one with a particularly rockin tune or amazing lyrics) in favour of contemporary songs, and preferably stick to songs which have a more positive take on sewing. Or crafting.

Submissions, please!