Some crafts have always had a kind of charm or allure to me. Spinning yarn, weaving and doing embroidery all seemed romantic. I took a spindle and needle and thread, tried and felt clumsy. What was I trying to do?
All of those women (and definitely men too) before me, had learnt to spin, sew and weave from their mothers and grandmothers. It used to be a natural part of life to them. Now this flow of teaching has stopped and these crafts are mostly left to experts and older ladies. I had no-one to introduce me to this world, sadly.
I stitched wonky stitches and spun thick-and-thin yarn until my fingers kind of remembered what these crafts felt like. What the tension on the thread should feel like. Not only did I create some really nice, satisfying things, I also enjoyed the feeling of getting into 'the zone' and work calm and fluently. It is like a meditation, with remembering fingers and cheerful colours. The stitches just seem to flow out from between my needle and fingers and I feel part of all of those women stitching, now and in other times.
I enjoy the stitching, the remembering, the fingers of the women before me guiding my fingers in spirit. Me taking my place amongst them, with and next to the craftsmen and women.
Now it is our turn to weave our world.
Do you recognise this feeling? Are you a stitcher too?
If not (yet), maybe I can introduce you to this world of stitching, colour and rhythm.. Maybe you have had some guiding fingers already, maybe not.
Let's take this fading craft and bring it into this time. Let's spice it up to our liking and create whatever we need and want. Whatever we can think of.
Tomorrow I'll be hosting a workshop about this in Ana Sofia in Zwolle, I'm very looking forward to it. Would you like to participate too, or maybe a have some friends and want to organise a workshop close to you? Send me a message at info[at]dorienruben.nl . You can find more information for the workshop tomorrow on facebook over here.
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