soulful stitching

 

 Last Thursday I gathered with some amazing women to create wearable collages... Story Scarves. It's the opening project in my book, Reinvention, and was a fantastic way to begin Squam 2012!

We worked in The Playhouse, a huge old barn structure filled with Squam history and a giant stone hearth that blazed during the cool hours of the morning. Sewing machines whirred, linen and silk flew, tears flowed, and laughter poured out as we worked all day.

Everyone brought deeply meaningful scraps of fabric... from family members recently lost, to mother's birthing gowns, to clothing worn at important moments in their lives. They wove them together to create a tactile picture that words can't always express.   .  The architecture and atmosphere of each classroom at Squam is totally unique. I love making it an inspiring and creative space filled with banners and flowers... and then watching how the content of what we are doing interacts with the environment. The stitchers discovered that the railings/planks along our deck were the perfect width and length for laying out their scarf designs. Brilliant!  These same planks also worked beautifully as table tops, drenched in natural light, for carving stamps. Just pull up a chair...

At the beginning of the class I emphasized how much this kind of sewing is a process... the actual scarf cannot be planned ahead of time... it evolves as it is pieced together. I asked them to trust. The elation and wonder of seeing how their individual scarves truly came together was one of the highlights of all of my teaching experiences combined. Look at these beautiful expressions as their stories emerged!

I am so grateful to every one of these passionate and inspiring women that chose to spend the day sewing with me. I fell in love with each of them... and feel honored to know their stories.
 I will be teaching Story Scarves again in the fall, and I can't wait! There are still a few spots, so if Squam has been calling you, perhaps I will see you in September. To read about all of the wonderful experiences from last week's lakeside retreat, Elizabeth has rounded up the many shining blog posts right here. Good weekend reading with a tall glass of ice tea...

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