Sunday, February 16, 2014

I am happy.  I have learned many truths about myself this last year; they swirl around my head, like bats reaching for moonlight.  My spiritual truths are best spoken in terms of fabric.  My hands are learning to speak in support of fabric.  A chef's hands work in unison with food, a  gardener's hands learn how to move in poetry to the needs of the plants.  A fabric artist's hands learn to move in poetry with the needle.  They move, without the mind controlling, but in unison to the needs of the fabric.  This is what I learned. Fabric brought me back to the dance, a ballet where each dancer knows their part.  This unison with fabric brings comfort to my soul.  My mentors have taught me that fabric is a story, a way.  How I touch fabric helps decide the story.  

My mentors remind me to have a relationship with the fabric.   The fabric pieces should evolve as a story, a record of my asking a question or exploring a belief, or as protection for someone.  I should think in terms of segments; segments that join as a whole.  Cloth with spirit evolves; just like a life evolves and changes as it is played out.  Fabric should tell a story.  Fabric guides me to my style. If I have style and a way; the segments will fit seamlessly.  Consistency in spirit brings a life that fits seamlessly together. My fabric should always be touched with spiritual symbology, just like my daily life; the spirit should touch everything I do.  Fabric and thread are a means to an understanding, not an end project.  I remind myself that I stitch because I enjoy stitching, not because I want a finished project.



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