Brilliant read. I am in that same dilemma, feeling I need to choose between stitching and writing. Not to mention all those other things I do too. My list is very similar to yours.
The gem in this piece is the Persephone bodice, which paradoxically we would not have been able to enjoy had you given up on writing, or indeed stitching!!
Do tell us more about the other four bodices and the stories behind them! Happy Sunday
Thank you Mary. I think I may well write about the other bodices in future. A way for me to flex my story writing muscles whilst remembering the embroidery
Your last paragraph struck a chord with me. In very recent times I have come to accept that I am just a compulsive maker.
When moving house I had to go through all my crafting stash and realised just how many different disciplines I’d have ‘had a go at’ over the years, many of which I’d completely forgotten, having stashed the makes in the back of a cupboard due to not being sure what to do with them.
It took some willpower to get rid of some supplies but I tested it against the mantra that whilst it was good at that time I am no longer that person, therefore it had to go. I wasn’t wholly successful so I still have a lot of stuff to relinquish but getting there.
Whilst your compulsion seems to be based on an interest in the story, mine appears to be a test of my ability to learn something new. I love pulling things apart to see how they’re made, seeing if occasionally I can improve on them, or just replicate them, to suit my needs. Much of this involves problem solving, partly born out of a need for having just the right thing to do the job. I find lately that I love making things with wood as well as textiles and have developed a desire to own several power tools to go with the several sewing machines in my possession 😂😂
I think we are all the same if we have a creative brain Kim. I could do with off loading a lot more supplies but the problem with a studio separate from the house is that it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind most of the time! I can identify with the power tools thing 😂
In reading all these lovely comments, I recognize myself, like looking in the mirror. I have many passions, quilting, slow stitching, weaving, knitting, applique, painting, bookbinding. I even have a classical reference, where I made a couple of fabric pieces I call Circe's Ingle, a kind of apron or shield for the divine feminine. The ingle is the hearth and the divine feminine triangle is the covering, like Eve's fig leaf...and that's where it sits, with me in my 80th year, taking up threads of my life and producing art and craft to go on with. It keeps me sane and able to find healing for myself and whoever I can reach with the power of the Divine Feminine.
Lynne, reading this it confirms how as creative people we all have multiple interests. I love the sound of Circe’s Ingle and your power of the Divine Feminine
Another brilliant post, Gina. Your love of research is really coming through and it may sound trite but I really do think you should write a book, you have so many different threads to write about, just these bodices are worth a few chapters of their own. x
Thank you so much Lindsey. At the time I made them which was about ten years ago I had the idea of writing a textiles book with all the different techniques (each one is completely different) with each chapter being introduced with the characters stories but as often happens with one thing and another it never got done.
But I do think I will publish the stories here as a way of warming up. I can feel the bones of an historical novel stirring!
I’m not sure if you still have Netflix, but have you watched Kaos? We’ve been engrossed, one episode to go, and were just last night racking our brains trying to remember Persephone’s story, so thank you for that! And it also explains but doesn’t excuse the appalling behaviour of Zeus, played magnificently by Jeff Goldblum! Oh, and wanting to do all the things? Erm, yeah…no answers, only empathy.
I immediately thought of you when I wrote the words ‘do all the things’!
Thank you for the recommendation… we do have Netflix! If you like Greek myths I can recommend Natalie Haynes for both her writing and her radio 4 programme
Most creative people aren’t content with just one interest or passion, it feels like one thing leads to another, and before we know it we have 5, or 10 or more different creative passions. I’m trying my hardest to consolidate all of mine, every time I make a list it expands!
Pomegranates were a major theme for me back in the early 2000’s when I did a City and Guilds in Creative Embroidery. I still look at the work I did then and wonder how that one subject kept me enthralled for 3 years. These days what I’m interested in seems to change every month or so.
I think you are right and a diverse range of interests are a sign of a creative brain. There is something very appealing about a pomegranate and in G & G we were encouraged to study things in depth which is probably why you stuck with it for so long!
Brilliant read. I am in that same dilemma, feeling I need to choose between stitching and writing. Not to mention all those other things I do too. My list is very similar to yours.
The gem in this piece is the Persephone bodice, which paradoxically we would not have been able to enjoy had you given up on writing, or indeed stitching!!
Do tell us more about the other four bodices and the stories behind them! Happy Sunday
Thank you Mary. I think I may well write about the other bodices in future. A way for me to flex my story writing muscles whilst remembering the embroidery
Your last paragraph struck a chord with me. In very recent times I have come to accept that I am just a compulsive maker.
When moving house I had to go through all my crafting stash and realised just how many different disciplines I’d have ‘had a go at’ over the years, many of which I’d completely forgotten, having stashed the makes in the back of a cupboard due to not being sure what to do with them.
It took some willpower to get rid of some supplies but I tested it against the mantra that whilst it was good at that time I am no longer that person, therefore it had to go. I wasn’t wholly successful so I still have a lot of stuff to relinquish but getting there.
Whilst your compulsion seems to be based on an interest in the story, mine appears to be a test of my ability to learn something new. I love pulling things apart to see how they’re made, seeing if occasionally I can improve on them, or just replicate them, to suit my needs. Much of this involves problem solving, partly born out of a need for having just the right thing to do the job. I find lately that I love making things with wood as well as textiles and have developed a desire to own several power tools to go with the several sewing machines in my possession 😂😂
I think we are all the same if we have a creative brain Kim. I could do with off loading a lot more supplies but the problem with a studio separate from the house is that it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind most of the time! I can identify with the power tools thing 😂
In reading all these lovely comments, I recognize myself, like looking in the mirror. I have many passions, quilting, slow stitching, weaving, knitting, applique, painting, bookbinding. I even have a classical reference, where I made a couple of fabric pieces I call Circe's Ingle, a kind of apron or shield for the divine feminine. The ingle is the hearth and the divine feminine triangle is the covering, like Eve's fig leaf...and that's where it sits, with me in my 80th year, taking up threads of my life and producing art and craft to go on with. It keeps me sane and able to find healing for myself and whoever I can reach with the power of the Divine Feminine.
Lynne, reading this it confirms how as creative people we all have multiple interests. I love the sound of Circe’s Ingle and your power of the Divine Feminine
Stories clearly run through all your passions, but this bodice is extraordinarily accomplished and quite beautiful.
Thank you Deborah, that is so kind
Another brilliant post, Gina. Your love of research is really coming through and it may sound trite but I really do think you should write a book, you have so many different threads to write about, just these bodices are worth a few chapters of their own. x
Thank you so much Lindsey. At the time I made them which was about ten years ago I had the idea of writing a textiles book with all the different techniques (each one is completely different) with each chapter being introduced with the characters stories but as often happens with one thing and another it never got done.
But I do think I will publish the stories here as a way of warming up. I can feel the bones of an historical novel stirring!
Stir away!
I’m not sure if you still have Netflix, but have you watched Kaos? We’ve been engrossed, one episode to go, and were just last night racking our brains trying to remember Persephone’s story, so thank you for that! And it also explains but doesn’t excuse the appalling behaviour of Zeus, played magnificently by Jeff Goldblum! Oh, and wanting to do all the things? Erm, yeah…no answers, only empathy.
I immediately thought of you when I wrote the words ‘do all the things’!
Thank you for the recommendation… we do have Netflix! If you like Greek myths I can recommend Natalie Haynes for both her writing and her radio 4 programme
One thing to note if anyone hasn’t watched yet…some scenes in Kaos might make for slightly awkward viewing 'en famille' 😳
I can imagine!
😅 and thank you for the recommendation, I’ll look her up.
Most creative people aren’t content with just one interest or passion, it feels like one thing leads to another, and before we know it we have 5, or 10 or more different creative passions. I’m trying my hardest to consolidate all of mine, every time I make a list it expands!
Pomegranates were a major theme for me back in the early 2000’s when I did a City and Guilds in Creative Embroidery. I still look at the work I did then and wonder how that one subject kept me enthralled for 3 years. These days what I’m interested in seems to change every month or so.
I think you are right and a diverse range of interests are a sign of a creative brain. There is something very appealing about a pomegranate and in G & G we were encouraged to study things in depth which is probably why you stuck with it for so long!
That’s very true, having the freedom to be curious about everything isn’t helpful in that context