Sunday 17 July 2011

A Patchwork of Stitchings


.....Oh, and a speckled feather too.

Been thinking of diaries
and how each entry records a moment in a lifetime.
A whole gathering of diary pages
would tell of the ebb and flow of a life...
the rhythm of a life.

There is a rhythm to stitching.
A much slower tempo than writing in a diary.
How to record a moment in a day in stitch
without it becoming a month-long project?
Perhaps there would be no capturing of images
just daily spontaneous stitching on cloth.
The type of stitch and colour of thread
might be enough to record the day.

Would each day be assigned a square of patchwork?
Or would all my days be jumbled together in a whole-cloth?

More questions than answers at the moment.



11 comments:

  1. Well, it will certainly be interesting to see what answers you find to your questions...

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  2. I'm remembering an article in Quilting Arts that featured a woman who did a small square everyday for a year. Don't remember quite where/when though. What a project!

    I think when journaling a lot of what becomes important is what is chosen to be recorded. There is a sifting that needs to occur...

    Yes, lots of questions.

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  3. I sort of see all of our stitcheries as journals of sorts. Mostly we sit by ourselves and stitch - or bead - or whatever our hands are working on and at the end of 'project' it often reflects the thoughts that were going on while we were stitching. I feel that the pieces I 'pay attention' to with my thoughts and dreams and wishes turn out to be my personal favorites.

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  4. Wouldn't that one block a day be an interesting thing to look back on?!! I thought Penny's comment was so interesting. Yes our favorites, the ones we've invested our heart into.
    Your leaves and acorn are amazing! Love that one (along with the others of course)

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  5. I'm catching up on your blog...so much to take in. that crow & background are fabulous, as this post of wonders, of your stitchings. about this diaries idea...yes, a tactile, visual journal w/stitches for language...i think it was in the opening of the diaries class that jude talked about some of this, the idea of a color representing a mood, etc... this could be a really wonderful thing- if a group took it on in their own interpretations & say, did it for a month & shared the results at the end...hmmm....

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  6. I'm catching up on your blog...so much to take in. that crow & background are fabulous, as this post of wonders, of your stitchings. about this diaries idea...yes, a tactile, visual journal w/stitches for language...i think it was in the opening of the diaries class that jude talked about some of this, the idea of a color representing a mood, etc... this could be a really wonderful thing- if a group took it on in their own interpretations & say, did it for a month & shared the results at the end...hmmm....

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  7. let each stich have a thought of its own...it will heal...

    off to facebook to find you

    lots of love

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  8. This is something I've often thought about too. Sometimes I pick up a piece of stitching I did many months ago, and I can instantly 'feel' what I was thinking about when I stitched it. I'm convinced that cloth keeps memory long after the mind that made it has forgotten. Interesting.

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  9. Rachel - Probably more questions!

    Deb - The "sifting" is often hard. But now that I say that... being ever present surely brings clarity to the day and allows the relevant to percolate to the top.

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  10. One of the blogs I read (brain dead, can't remember whose at the moment) is doing a calendar for herself. She creates a blank month and then draws/creates in each square. I think it's a great idea and definitely could be expanded to include stitching too.

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  11. I love your patchwork photos, what a great collection of ideas and impulses. I admire this week's postings, it is so full of wonderful accomplishments. Sometimes the work takes so long, we can forget how prodigious we really can be. This week surely celebrates tenacity.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment, your thoughts are most welcome.