Community of Creatives

The pandemic disrupted a lot of things like work and school but also social groups like quilt guilds and artist groups.  For me it meant the end of some groups.  I recently joined 2 new groups and it has been wonderful to be active and social again.  It reminded me of a previous blog post that I thought I would share again.  If you have a chance to be part of a creative group, please join it.  It is wonderful to be surrounded by creatives.

Quilting bees were common in colonial days.  Groups of women getting together to sew and quilt bedding for each other.  It was a time of companionship but it was also a way for them to teach and encourage theirs and each other's creativity.

 These groups act as cheerleaders, pushing and encouraging the members to do what they want to do and, as with many dreams, what they need to do.  They help with brainstorming for solutions to problems such as where to get affordable supplies, how to barter work for training, where to display work, who to meet to achieve one’s goals.  They are there to cheer great successes and soothe the lesser successes (I don't like the word failure.).

You don't have to be working on the same type of creativity.  I can get just as much support from a painter or a writer as a quilter.  And you don't have to be at the same point in your creativity journey.  In fact, it is helpful if you're not.  The novice can see their future better with someone who has been creating their dreams for a longer time, and the experienced dreamer can be reminded of how far they have come.

You just need to meet once in a while and dream together.  Meet for coffee if there are just two of you or meet in a more formal setting if there is a group.  Allow each person to share their triumphs and disappointments, and allow the other members of the group to offer ideas.  Sometimes it is fun - if you can do it - to create together.  Plan a project together like a collage or just bring what you can work on and dream and create together. A recent memory I have of time with a fellow creative dreamer was the two of us finishing a baby quilt for a charity while talking through the snags in each of our very different dreams. 

 There is no reason to go at this creative journey alone.  Get together a group. You do want to make sure that the people you invite to your group are not the critics or just plain negative people.  That will just undermine what you are trying to do.  Make one rule of the group to be that even if you don't understand or enjoy another person's creative passion, it will still be treated with respect.

Don't miss the joy of a community of creatives - find or form a group.

 

© 2016, 2022 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Slow Stitch

 I have noticed on various internet platforms for embroidery the idea of Slow Stitching.  I looked it up and found it had a number of definitions.  One view is stitching by hand a piece where you make the design up a you go along; the idea of being improvisational.  Another view was stitching by hand any type of pattern or design including things you would normally do by machine like a doll or stuffed animal.  While the definitions seem to be different, the one thing in common is stitching by hand.  That is slow stitching.  You can’t go very fast when stitching by hand. 

And it doesn’t matter if you have a pattern in mind or you don’t.  What matters is to enjoy the process of stitching.  It can be very therapeutic to have the needle and thread go in and out of the fabric.  Just the fact that you need to be still when doing it is therapeutic in our fast-paced world.  Ever try stitching while on an exercise bike or while taking a walk; kind of hard.

This idea of slow stitching is based on the concept of mindfulness.  Mindfulness is concentrating on the act of doing something.  It can be anything.  Take washing the dishes.  How many of us really pay attention to what we are doing when washing the dishes? You just want the chore to be over.  Have you ever paid attention to how the water feels on your hands while doing the dishes, how the light reflects off the soap suds, or the wet dish or the flowing water?  Try it sometime and you will find that washing the dishes becomes a new experience.

That is how it is with slow stitching.  Pay attention to how the fabric looks in your hand? How does it feel in your hands?  Can you hear the thread sliding through the fabric?  Concentrate on the color of the thread against the fabric?  You are not looking at it to see if it contrasts or blends well but just simply how it looks.  Look at how interesting the piece looks with that one stitch that is just a little wonky.  Don’t rip it out.  You want that kind of wonky.  We are looking for contemplation in our stitching not perfection.  And you are not on a deadline so the piece you are working on could take a day, a week or even years.  That is all OK.  What you are involved in is the process of stitching, not the finished product.

Next time you want to try something new, just pick up a needle and thread and a piece of fabric and start stitching, slow and thoughtful.  You might find you come away feeling more relaxed, more inspired and maybe with something beautiful to look at.  Happy Stitching.

 

©2022 Cheryl Fillion