Making it personal

Because I love hand sewing, I fired up a project prior to leaving for Spain. I packed my bags with paints, my journal, this project, clothing and a camera. Unlike any previous trip, I hardly took my journal out.

Instead, it was a race to the next coffee shop, a need to photograph inspiration at every turn and lovey moments of reprieve with a needle and thread.

I love the sound of the needle piercing the cloth. It is a tiny violence, a quiet sigh, the security of fiber attached to fiber.

And when the piece is complete, the texture of the sewn cloth is amazing. I fell so deeply in love with this project, I threatened to continue on with it, even after I knew it was complete.

I didn't expect this project or this idea to take on any extra meaning or force, perhaps being taken out of my comfort zone, country, listening to Spanish, looking at all things foreign gave this bag significance beyond measure. This left like a story in the sewing, exciting and liberating too.

I am reconfiguring my hand dyed thread class to have this project as the end result. I will need a pattern tester. Any takers?