Making for pleasure
I’ve just completed a small hand stitched quilt. I wanted to make something slow and steady - simple squares at the centre, plenty of thoughtful needlework without a deadline, just going with the flow. It is beautiful to me because it is full of wonky imperfection and I like quilts that speak in a slightly off-beat register. I have no interest in using rotary cutters and complicated quilting tools. All the patches that went into this modest quilt were hand cut, sitting in an armchair and not at a work table. For me this was a project for my own pleasure. Had I had a professional finish in mind I would have taken a different approach, certainly. But making for pleasure is important and making things just the way you want them, regardless of rules or trends, is at the heart of this.
There are so many things I would like to make and if I did not have to make and sell for a living I could happily fill my days simply making all the things I don’t get to make now. Such is life, of course. I know some people need to take a break from making and perhaps they have participated in a sport or spend hours in the garden - I don’t do this. I enjoy pottering about in the garden but as it is a rental space there’s only so much I can do. I could not spend days just keeping my hands still, I think it would affect my mental health in such a detrimental way, the very thought of not making, not plotting the next craft project, makes me anxious. If I had to sit still and not ‘do’, what would I do?
I often think about people who don’t make things. They are in no way inferior to me just because they do not have this obsessive desire to create. Perhaps they simply enjoy observing the world. Or discovering scientific facts, or caring for wild animals, or climbing mountains, or all these things at once could be a possibility, I am told. The world needs observers, collectors, admirers and thinkers. Perhaps these people read, a lot. Perhaps these people simply have busy lives caring for other beings. Still, I can’t quite envisage what life might be like without a cupboard full of craft materials and baskets of projects in progress.
I am already starting my next quilt. It’s not that I don’t have enough to do, it’s just I find so much satisfaction from the process of making things.
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Zine time
I have a new zine coming out - it is called Snowdrops and is a simple little book featuring a small series of wintry pencil drawings. I am very happy with how this one looks. It has its own personality and simplicity. More details on Instagram over the next few days. But here’s a sneak peek for you here first:
The pages are not bound yet! I will hand stitch the binding. I am laser printing these - very much a diy project. That’s the way I like zines to be.
My plan was to also publish a poetry zine. I shared a poem with you here a few weeks back. However, I have decided that putting out both at the same time - whilst a great idea in theory (saving on postage, offering zine bundles etc…) would actually be a great deal of work at an already very busy time of year. Also, my original idea was to put together a selection of wintry poems and then a few autumn and summer poems crept in - and I now know what I want to do is edit a collection of the four seasons. So - that will be happening next year. Not sure when, but perhaps late winter or early spring.
Thanks for reading!
Your little quilt turned out beautifully! The colors are so warm and seasonal and the stitching adds beautiful contrast. I’m pleased to read your thoughts about making, especially for one’s self— it seems so essential to self care. Very much looking forward to your zine— to both of them actually! They are tiny treasures, the very essence of your creativity in a format accessible to all. Have a lovely week, Cathy!