08 June 2013

Old cloth and new stitch

There's a lot of this 
stitching-together of  venerable, memorable bits of fabric ever-so-wistfully 
thing about, isn't there?

I'm feeling pulled into it too...

a way to gather memories
honour the people we knew
show respect for cloth and the processes that produced it
prolong the life of already-mended cloth
add a personal mark
fill time with personal meaning

It's a way to gather oneself ... 
to wait for charring to fall off the burnt edges ... 
to wait for bruises to fade, wounds to heal

using cloth as a bandage
using cloth as a slate and stitch as chalk

etc


BUT ............. I'M  RESISTING...................because.................

I have nothing special to say - nothing important to communicate
and
I still can't, amid the ever-emerging chaos of my studio
of my current life
find the RIGHT fabric, the right thread

sometimes there has to be other work behind the scenes
and
sometimes that work is all there is

SO - what's the plan? After a life in theWorld Of Work (I rather miss that...) I'm happy with timelines and deadlines and lines of reporting ... with responsibility and accountability and 
ABOVE ALL 
with a certain level of productiveness.

Until the Purposefulness and Productivity Fairy waves that magic wand
I shall
instead of sitting in my chair on the sunporch of a frosty morning, cradling and sipping my cup of herb tea amid still-waking reverie, musing on the night's dreamscape and the day's promise
I shall
continue, at intervals, with 
Clearing The Decks

making space

putting things away

throwing things away

clearing and re-clearing my workspace

making handy places for things needed constantly

making a list of where the infrequently-used items are


This needs to happen gradually
...and will never be completed...




But first I'm sneaking away for a few days' holiday
with sketchbook and ink, brush and pen
with needle and thread
and a few other necessities
by Karen Hollingworth (via here)

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