Mom Would Be So Proud

I never thought I would say this, but I think I need a thimble.

My mom would be so proud.

When Emma was in utero I started making all the decorations for her room. There was a dearth of 'cute' age appropriate nursery decorations in Nairobi and really it was just my version of nesting. Some people clean, I create. My nesting urges launched me into a collaging phase. I started combining collage and embroidery on canvas.

I don't know if you know this but embroidering through gessoed and painted canvas is hard. This afternoon as I sat there trying to force a needle through two layers of thick paper, fabric, and canvas I thought, 'I could use a thimble.' I resorted to using the flat part of my hole puncher to force the needle through. As I did it I was pretty glad that I already glued the button on and that the sewing was only for added cuteness, or it could have been precarious and dangerous.

Why didn't you just punch a hole with the hole puncher? I had...

I actually love embroidery. I'm not good at it, but I enjoy. I think because I'm stabbing something... My mother taught me how years ago. She also taught me to sew. I have actually finally decided to accept the fact that I do not like sewing. I like the idea of it, I love the creativity and all the possibilities. I hate the process. I always get about a quarter of the way through a sewing project and then something happens to the bobbin (always the bobbin) and I think, 'oh, right I hate this.' But embroidery stuck.

It's funny to remember this, as I am sewing buttons onto this canvas I watch my hands push in, flip around, and tie off. Centuries old motions that my own fingers do so quickly. A muscle memory that I never knew I had.

After an hour or so of collage I find myself relaxed, calm, the soothing feeling of having accomplished something, I can move onto other tasks. One time I was talking to a friend about doing art and how it calmed me down. She looked at me and said,
"Are you ever angry?" I seriously wondered how she could ask that question of me. I don't do art when I'm angry, only leads to ruin. I clean when I am angry,
"Gee, Lara the oven is really clean."
"Oh is it? Is it sooo CLEAN?!?!"
I digress, if you have the time wander over to my Etsy shop and check out what I've done.

www.etsy.com/shop/laradavisbarnett