I have 
spent the afternoon re-immersed in a very old lesson. This lesson came over 5 decades ago when I first learned to sew; the lesson of sewing with the grain of the fabric. As a textile artist it is easy to fudge on that some of the time in small unnoticed ways. Today was not one of those days! I have spent the afternoon ripping out horizontal free-motion stitching on a vertical strip comprised of scraps that were often cut with the grain or any way that fit.
It’s my intention to incorporate these strips of scraps in many of the 25 pieces in this new series. As I ripped and re-assessed I noticed that this strip in the center of the piece has skewed all the surrounding cloth. I suppose my best bet for upcoming pieces will be to stabilize the strips before I work them into the overall design, or perhaps stitch them last and not first. I certainly don’t want to fight like this with each new piece of the series. And my wrists will be eternally grateful.
My construction issues with the huge Earth Stories pieces provided my challenge for that project. Clearly this project is bringing me much of the same. Stay tuned…
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