Cross-Stitch Labyrinth

The best way for me to bring myself together in a meaningful way is to make something with my hands.  Since I am in love with silk and color and geometry, there is nothing more I could want than some fabric, thread, and a hand sewing needle.           

I've been working at my craft for years and have many textile creations.  But my inventory of hand printed and dyed fabrics has become depleted so that as I sat down to work, I found the remnants I had never chosen were still there waiting for their turn.  I recognized each one, big or small, as I had considered their potential over and over again, always putting them aside. 

Nonetheless, I could not turn away from what lay before me, and I began picking up small pieces of fabric and putting colors, designs, and shapes together to begin a collage composition.  I pinned many pieces onto a foundation of plain white cotton and hung it up so I could study what I had made.  Feeling trepidation that my work would not be good enough, I prepared myself for possible disappointment. 

Holding my little spot light so that the silk and color could shine back to me I looked with anticipation to see what I had made. What I felt was sadness, a silent call for help coming from the visual story I had made.  It made me want to keep working on my small piece much as you would want to care for your garden if it needed watering. 

This new gesture represents something significant to me: my priority to care for what is needed rather than what is appealing.  Having come this far in my exploration I will keep going until I've finished the cross-stitch labyrinth so that when I shine the light on the color and silk, I will see what my passed-over pieces want to tell me.