Sometimes, after a challenging few weeks, it’s all too easy to forget the things that we’ve accomplished and that we’re proud of. We feel dejected, despondent, and (if truth be told) a little despairing. This year, like everyone else, I’ve had my fair share of difficulties. Some of them have been nothing more than bumps in the road. I’ve picked myself up, brushed myself down and got on with it. However, I’ve also felt floored. Winded. Shattered. Many of you, I’m sure, will have been there too.
Trying to come up with a post for Sew on the Go, I’ve been raking through my ‘making’ this year. It’s helpful to realise that in spite of the sudden and unexpected tripwires - I’ve somehow carried on crafting. There are clothes made with someone special in mind. Created with passion, they were stitched together in dawn raids. I stole hours from the night and flung my heart into their coming together. Next up, neck purses. Sliced from old advertising banners, I put on my crusader’s hat and came up with an idea that might help reduce landfill. Then there are the comforting crafts. I made these things to ease the pain: a macrame workshop taught me that knots can sometimes calm. The repetitive doing and undoing somehow helps loosen the twisted tangle inside. A friend’s request to reupholster a piece of furniture led me try something new. The pay off was a bountiful Sunday lunch and a fresh perspective on life. A little vase of flowers. Carved from wood and printed on my Birthday. A concerted effort to dispel my deep sense of disappointment. Yet I love the result.
Lessons? There are none. Just a sharing of one maker’s journey as Autumn approaches. An effort to MAKE things better. Little by little.
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