Tuesday, December 9, 2008

My New Friend Janet


This morning I got an email from Janet. I first met Janet when purchasing a kit from her for something called a “Dottie Bag.” She is the queen of this bag, even down to finding the most beautifully colored felt. She finds colors heaven forgot, let me tell you.

I had told Janet that I was looking at tutorials on the blanket stitch, and had been surprised that there are so many ways to do it. It was almost a philosophical dialogue to see what each teacher said about the stitch. Here is what Janet wrote back:

“Have you ever heard of the zen of stitching? When I get into my zen zone my stitches just flow! It’s such a great feeling. I have perfected my own blanket stitch. I know there are simpler ways to do it, but they don’t feel right to me. My style feels right and balanced. It’s a rhythm, like a heartbeat. To me, stitching is a prayer, a spiritual offering, a moment to treasure the miracle of our hands. It’s not work, it’s an expression of joy and it’s very personal. Not to mention comforting!”

Isn’t that an amazing paragraph, it absolutely exalts the idea of simple sewing to a new level, doesn’t it?

Here are pictures of a few other smaller bags that I was compelled to create. Oh, joy.


(See more of Janet’s work at http://www.feltonthefly.etsy.com/)




Dottie Bag by Alyson














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