As You Sew, So Shall You Reap
You'll have to forgive me for borrowing and putting a twist on that familiar homily, but I've been doing a lot of landscaping work this spring and summer. Our property has a lot of newly cleared areas that require attention and so whenever I can scrape together some time away from work and 'life', I'm planning, digging, planting, watering - all those many chores that it takes to develop a beautifully designed yard.
Naturally, I have lots of time to think while I'm up to my elbows in dirt. My Dad has always said that he enjoyed all the years of tractor driving (he is a wheat farmer) because it gives you 'lots of time to think'. I can understand that. And of course I think about design, sewing, and fiber arts quite a bit.
It led me to contemplate how gardening has so many parallels to sewing. Many people's sewing skills are mainly kept to sewing on buttons, mending tears, hemming various items, etc. Which is kind of like having a basic yard which is kept mowed and trimmed and maintained without much variance from year to year. Then you have the yards with tons of hanging baskets, lots of annuals, yard art of various types - I see that as a parallel to embellishment and wearable art. There are so many comparisons I could make!
It also made me think about the way we approach our various sewing projects, as alluded to in the topic. I approach many of my projects as if they are annuals or perennials, in a sense. An annual plant grows up, blooms, sets seed and dies in one season - kind of like a quick sewing project. For me, this is like a quick t-shirt I might whip together on the serger or similar. Then there are the perennials - they have differing life spans, but generally take longer to become established and put on a show. My perennial projects are tailored jackets and similar items requiring a greater degree of preparation, cutting, pressing and sewing skills, and overall care and attention to detail to see it through to completion. Not to mention a more significant investment in time.
I'm mostly a perennial gardener. I generally choose my plants with a lot of forethought, and then carefully plan and research the best possible location to plant them. I don't enjoy 'fussing' over my plants - I do my best to research and find the best quality plants which will grow strong and healthy, requiring a minimum of maintenance at maturity. I'm also a collector. I collect different varieties of plants and am especially fond of those that are unusual or relatively rare. I have nothing against annuals; in fact I use them quite a bit to fill in the spaces between perennial plants that are still slowly growing toward their maturity. In time, the number of annuals will decrease as the perennials reach full size but I am sure there will still be a place for them in the overall scheme.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense about my design work as well. Generally speaking I prefer to work on more complex, detailed projects rather than quick, 'instant gratification' projects. I'd rather put more time and care into the creation and have a finished product that will have lasting beauty and wearability for years to come. I also collect my fabric much like I collect plants - I prefer high quality silks and wools that will perform well and look beautiful from season to season. But that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy fun projects and it certainly doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good fabric sale and occasionally making something quick with lesser quality fabric. Everything has its place; it's a matter of balance and proportion, just like planning a well-designed landscape. Heaven knows there are times in the middle of a 'perennial' project that I truly wished I was making a bunch of 'annual' projects instead!
It really doesn't matter what kind of 'gardener' you are in the greater scheme of things. I'm constantly amazed at the huge variety of items and interests people use their sewing machines to create and explore. Just as I am often moved to admire a garden which is very different from my own. What really matters is that we are all creating our own idea of happiness or beauty.
Naturally, I have lots of time to think while I'm up to my elbows in dirt. My Dad has always said that he enjoyed all the years of tractor driving (he is a wheat farmer) because it gives you 'lots of time to think'. I can understand that. And of course I think about design, sewing, and fiber arts quite a bit.
It led me to contemplate how gardening has so many parallels to sewing. Many people's sewing skills are mainly kept to sewing on buttons, mending tears, hemming various items, etc. Which is kind of like having a basic yard which is kept mowed and trimmed and maintained without much variance from year to year. Then you have the yards with tons of hanging baskets, lots of annuals, yard art of various types - I see that as a parallel to embellishment and wearable art. There are so many comparisons I could make!
It also made me think about the way we approach our various sewing projects, as alluded to in the topic. I approach many of my projects as if they are annuals or perennials, in a sense. An annual plant grows up, blooms, sets seed and dies in one season - kind of like a quick sewing project. For me, this is like a quick t-shirt I might whip together on the serger or similar. Then there are the perennials - they have differing life spans, but generally take longer to become established and put on a show. My perennial projects are tailored jackets and similar items requiring a greater degree of preparation, cutting, pressing and sewing skills, and overall care and attention to detail to see it through to completion. Not to mention a more significant investment in time.
I'm mostly a perennial gardener. I generally choose my plants with a lot of forethought, and then carefully plan and research the best possible location to plant them. I don't enjoy 'fussing' over my plants - I do my best to research and find the best quality plants which will grow strong and healthy, requiring a minimum of maintenance at maturity. I'm also a collector. I collect different varieties of plants and am especially fond of those that are unusual or relatively rare. I have nothing against annuals; in fact I use them quite a bit to fill in the spaces between perennial plants that are still slowly growing toward their maturity. In time, the number of annuals will decrease as the perennials reach full size but I am sure there will still be a place for them in the overall scheme.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense about my design work as well. Generally speaking I prefer to work on more complex, detailed projects rather than quick, 'instant gratification' projects. I'd rather put more time and care into the creation and have a finished product that will have lasting beauty and wearability for years to come. I also collect my fabric much like I collect plants - I prefer high quality silks and wools that will perform well and look beautiful from season to season. But that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy fun projects and it certainly doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good fabric sale and occasionally making something quick with lesser quality fabric. Everything has its place; it's a matter of balance and proportion, just like planning a well-designed landscape. Heaven knows there are times in the middle of a 'perennial' project that I truly wished I was making a bunch of 'annual' projects instead!
It really doesn't matter what kind of 'gardener' you are in the greater scheme of things. I'm constantly amazed at the huge variety of items and interests people use their sewing machines to create and explore. Just as I am often moved to admire a garden which is very different from my own. What really matters is that we are all creating our own idea of happiness or beauty.
posted by Katrina at
11:17 AM
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