As winter wraps up and the sun begins to creep back I’ve had my head down, pouring stitches into neglected projects. It has felt like a sort of putting things back together on a larger scale than just the fabric in my hands. This is how handwork always comes bounding back into my life: when the mass of tiny motions that the work needs equals the urge I have to gather something together. A reciprocity I haven’t felt as often in recent years and I’ve missed it.
Leaning into the physical side of my practice is a slightly feral experience. Wordless and intuitive. I sort buttons and think in shapes. I tie knots and thread needles and my thoughts roll over one another like small stones in the lake, smooth and weightless. After I work for a few hours my mind buzzes with ideas. That’s when I switch to knitting, the repetitive motion blurring the chaos of my tired brain into a whetstone I can sharpen ideas against. I’ve kept that cycle going all month, after work and between errands, until my brain was humming and all of the surfaces in the studio were bursting and unusable.
As I cleaned to make space to work again I uncovered layers of in-progress projects scattered everywhere. I have been careless in favor of getting things done, so they were stacked, rolled and tucked under one another. Each one unspooled a series of events as I held it in my hands. Fingering a dangling needle, still threaded, I retraced the moments I had previously spent with it. Smoothing a hand across a piece of embroidery released the thoughts woven in with the thread. I found devotion in each piece. Maybe that’s unsurprising because I’ve been looking for it, but it’s also because I’m in a sweet moment: most of the work I have out is collaborative or intended for a loved one. These projects have held me well all month.
Upcoming Events:
From Rags to...Books! Hardcover Binding with Reclaimed Cloth Covers
With Daniel Ehn at The Bindery here in Milwaukee. May 22nd and 29th. Tickets here.
Soft Structures
A fibers show at Tooth & Nail Studio and Gallery, opening April 12th. Stay tuned for details. I’ll be showing this piece, titled: Fam(ily) Heirloom, in good company.
The Olive Tree Quilting Bee is in full swing. We’ve had two zoom sessions with guest speakers so far. If you signed up to join us and missed them we’ve sent out one recording and the other will go out shortly. Check your spam folders!
Devotion
week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4
Seeking out and creating moments of devotion for all of March was a nice counterbalance to the blips of discordance I’ve been having in engaging with this space. Working in an art form that is beloved by conservative white America while writing as a non-binary lesbian can be a little… unpleasant at times. I’m not shy about my beliefs; I try to live in a way that honors them, and that makes them inextricable from my work, including my quilts. It is not my way to hide when faced with adversity, but taking a month “off” to focus on devotion was still a welcome respite. After a month’s pause I feel firmed up in my convictions, my ability to adapt them, and the support I have from loved ones in upholding them. I feel able to write for myself again.
I will be going back to putting some posts behind a paywall now, including the archive. If that pushes them outside of your financial reach just send me an email and I will comp you a subscription. No need to go into specifics, if you reach out I’ll take you at your word. If you can afford to become a paid subscriber it’s deeply appreciated.
the american quilt world is so much better with your non-binary lesbian perspective in it <3 grateful, as always.
wish I could beam myself over to take your book binding class!!