I think one of the things that most appeals to me about sewing is the relative mystery inherent in the process. Because it contains so many variables, a sewist (I've heard people use that word; not sure how I feel about it. I will try it out here and see if I can stomach it--seamstress sounds so doddering) really doesn't know how a project will turn out until it's quite finished. I think this must be true for people who sew clothes as well; that's a frontier that still has me paralyzed with fear. It is especially true of the projects I've been making, though--while a top or skirt has maybe two fabrics, these table runners and quilt squares and pillows include five, six, sometimes nine or ten different fabrics. What if they don't go together?
My confidence as a sewist (no. Can't do it--you won't see that word from me again.) is obviously quite low, and my anxiety level in unfamiliar situations is generally off the charts. But that only contributes to the pleasure I find in a finished project. The suspense nearly kills me, but when it's finished and all the threads are tucked away and the corners (mostly) squared, I feel a flush of sheer pleasure: I did this. It is finished and attractive and I can't take my eyes off of it.It isn't only the variable of fabric choice that makes sewing suspenseful. It's also the fact that, until it's completely finished, a sewing project is utterly unfinished. It's tattered and shaggy and messy. Like a house that's undergoing a deep and thorough cleaning (I have heard of such things) or renovation, a sewing project gets messier the closer it is to being finished--at least my sewing projects do.
It is an act of faith to go through with it. It takes a kind of tenacity that doesn't come naturally to me--a quality that I would do well to nurture and develop in myself. Tenacity, that is. And dedication and follow-through.
This project was my first attempt at cording on a pillow. I embroidered the flowers for a project I abandoned, and I embroidered the name when I decided this piece of patchwork was going to this particular baby pillow.
__________________________________________________________________**Disclaimer (into which I heartily put the "lame")**
I probably could have done a better job illustrating this point--with better, more tattered pictures of a work in progress. But that would have required me to take pictures of a tattered work in progress, which would have required me to make progress on another piece of work. I was thinking about this aspect of sewing and I am trying to post something every day this week, and I am trying to keep it relatively simple and get rid of some of the backlog of projects I've accumulated in my photo album.Gosh, that sounds terribly churlish for a Friday morning, or for any morning. Maybe I'm taking too many resolutions at a time here, with blog posts and getting up early...The fact is I really love the way the embroidery came out on this pillow and I wanted to show it off.
In short, I am fronting. Isn't my pillow neat-looking?
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