The Project

John Dewey(1916) wrote that “we grow as we choose the projects by which we create our identities.”

What projects do you consider when there is an interruption to the ordinary flow of things? When the normal routine  habits are disabled? When you confront novelty, new ideas or something unexpected?

I am interested in this idea that we are active agents, choosing the projects that characterise and define our life, shape and determine our identities.

We are all in the process of being, becoming the person that we identified as ‘me’. The woman, man, parent, teacher, writer, builder, lover, fighter, preacher and more. The narrative of our life is in constant edit, the framework is there, the main ideas are evolving and connections are being made. We are continually making space to understand who we are in relation to who other people are. Knowing helps us to become. Choosing the projects shape our identity.

New Year’s Resolution

I just may be back in the New Year. So for those of you who keep checking in to see if I am blogging again, there is hope. I am committing myself to being more creative, to write daily and to seeing where new projects take me. Are you keen to come for the ride? Tell me about your resolution…..

The Edit Project

It is always difficult to change. To remove something from your home, your life or your history that you are actually quite fond of  but that has become a bit of a burden. To de-clutter, to downsize, to cut back.

The Edit Project is one very busy girl’s adventure into the world of editing. Not your average read, write and edit project. But a weekly blogpost of how I embrace this task of editing and pruning parts of my life. 

So as I savour my morning coffee I am making a list and checking it twice, ready to edit. Stay tuned…..

 

Fabric and Fashion

My eldest girl has been busy completing a school project. One of those “choose your own topic” projects that gets the teacher in me quiet upset. There will be those students who will instinctively be able to make a good choice about the topic and the parameters of the research. For many others it will be a simple, unchallenging task. Think – “My pet dog” or “The Smurf Movie”. Really not good enough….
So after several failed attempts at committing to a topic I opened the door on a whole new world for her. Fashion. Fashion houses, designers, runway shows, the catwalk and fabric and design. I only had to gently suggest and she has done the rest, with relish. My girl is an artist and craftsperson. She is always creating and making.
She has had a great time learning about fashion and that is the challenge – it is something new. We have viewed recent Fashion weeks from New York and Paris together. We have talked about the models, the clothes and the show as theatre. After much fun browsing she decided to focus on Kate Middleton’s wedding dress and the designer Sarah Burton for Alexander Mc Queen.

I loved Kate’s dress and her sister Pippa’s too – so very elegant. But take a peek at these spectacles from the recent Paris Fashion Week. Amazing. What will you be wearing this season?

The Finish Line!

Apparently it is snowing somewhere near home.
In spite of the cold and rain we are warm inside.
Today I finally finished another quilt that I have been experimenting with for months.

I decided to use a range of fabric squares from Denise Schmidt and randomly blocked them with white sashing. The fun has been the hand quilting in bright coloured embroidery cottons.

Even the back of the quilt is a bit playful.

Sometimes no plan is the best plan. And the best creations just evolve when you trust in your instincts.