Beautiful bounty from my gardenSometimes I wonder why I do so much hand stitching. I look at my work and want to see it finished. Anxious to see how it will look when the last stitch goes in. I think, if I did this on the machine it would be done done done! Sighing to myself I pick up the needle and thread it with the floss. Yes, the machine would make quick work of this. However it is not just the finished work I am going for. The process is a big part of how I work. Handling the cloth, adding the texture and color with stitches. I truly enjoy the hand work. I like the portability of it all. I can't take my machine into the backyard or the woods and use it. (Picture that one..) The sounds of nature around me as I sew. It is a very meditative feeling as I create the image from my mind onto the cloth. I live with these works of mine for a long time as they find their way to completion. I will be the first to admit to being much too attached to them when they are finished. I get offers from people who want to buy them from time to time and I really think about letting them go. I don't know how others do that. The ones that I have sent off are missed by me, but were given with love knowing they would be enjoyed by those who have received them. Someday I will learn how to do this with grace ! But for now they grow into a bounty of joy for me just like the seeds planted in my garden.
I am honored to own this book! It has been added to my collection of Artists books. I love browsing through these books by some of my favorite artists. Each time I find another new bit of inspiration . I wonder about their lives, how they felt about their art. Did they struggle through self doubt (almost certainly ) so many had such tragic lives. The art they made still looks fresh to this day. I would have loved to been able to meet any one of them. Can you imagine being able to sit down and share a conversation with your favorite artist? What would you ask them?
