Healing and Stitching

When great loss strikes I have found that the most important thing I can do to come out from under the covers is to use my art to take the first step towards beginning to heal. Under those covers I feel immobilized… unable to breathe at times, but once I start to create something… anything… to capture those feelings in a creative, loving way that letting go starts. It may start with notes I start writing, or little sketches of seemingly overwhelming memories, then for me comes the fabric and the stitching.

As the process continues, a piece of art begins to emerge. The art is the outward sign of the healing, but the breathing in and out becomes easier with each stitch.

Back in 2000 when I lost my fur-buddy Vincent, I found myself in this space and it took a long time but what emerged was a memorial quilt to my blue-eyed boy. I am posting these here, possibly the idea may help someone else take a first step after loss to finding a way back. Then again, these pictures are acting as a placeholder for another memorial quilt that is underway for Edgar… making me feel better stitch-by-stitch.  

 

Art & Healing

I have been floundering since loosing Edgar and have been trying to find something to get me moving again. It made me think about the loss of another beloved little soul - Vincent. Vinnie, like Edgar is one of those fur babies that always will be with me and when he passed there was a long suffering in my personal work, but I remembered what really pulled me through was making a memorial quilt for him.

This thought immediately made me feel like I had a purpose...making an Edgar quilt. Like Edgar himself the quilt will be larger than life. Then while chatting with my sister she asked me if I was going to use velveteen -- soft like the boy himself. 

Well, I think you can see where this is going. I haven't been in my velveteen bin for quite a while... such a perfect place to begin... thinking and developing ideas on just how to create a proper memorial quilt for Edgar.

Out came the bin and I couldn't believe what I found as I pulled, sorted and remembered the history of all this fabric. A considerable amount of the velveteen had been manipulated while in my Tuesday art group. There were pieces that were: Dyed, painted, waxed, stamped, indigo dyed, and bleached.

All of this fabric and leftover bits and pieces held memories of so many projects created over the years & also hold the promise of all infinite possibilities of things to come. Just what I needed.

Who knew what memories, wisdom and experience was in a tub of fabric?