Perfection in Imperfection

I was discussing with a friend the dilemma I was having about using a vintage brooch that I loved and wanted to design with, but it had a few minor flaws to it that though apparent, really didn't detract from the beauty and individuality of the design. At least that is the way I thought of it.

Now I don't have a set formula for what I require in a brooch or beads or any other embellishments, it just has to strike an inner chord of mine that stirs my imagination. That could be the unique design, the color, the material it is made from, or some other interesting qualities, and in that moment I am careful to look for imperfections as well. However, I never discount a piece if I find one or two things wrong with it because I am not looking for perfection in a piece that is old and may have been a beloved piece of someone in the past and used often for that reason. Don't misunderstand, I have many brooches that are perfect and I love those as well, however, those that are flawed truly show me what women of the past used and cared about and that is what drives the decision to get it even when it has had a small mishap or two along the way. I repair what I can when it is possible without being obvious or if it's not too complicated, but even if the flaw remains, it is still endearing to me because I know that its history was remarkable in some way to someone. I can just imagine the stories these lovely pieces of jewelry could tell if they could only speak.

Even though they sit silently waiting for the next phase of their future, and no one really knows much of their past, they do talk to those that listen and let them know that like people, they can endure much and still manage to maintain a beauty all their own and hold secrets only to be imagined and never told.

It Counts

My fabric of choice for my work is 14 ct. Aida cloth. Now to those new to this material, that means there are 14 squares to the inch and each one of those squares has a tiny X stitched diagonally across it. Each square has four holes in the corners to accomplish this, and a pattern is needed to show where the X's go. You literally count squares to know where to place various areas of your pattern, so it is called counted cross stitch. I have used other fabrics to stitch on, but 14 ct. Aida is my favorite, although I'm not opposed to using a different type if the spirit and project moves me to do so in the future. Aida to me is strong and works well with both small and large designs and seems to love just about any fiber, paint, and embellishment I throw at it. I also enjoy the linear structure of it, it just seems more orderly to me, plus it comes in a variety of very nice colors too.

This was not always the case. Many, many, many years ago in my twenties, I was a crewel fan (and still am to a degree). I loved the wools, stitches and muslin it used. At one point I joined EGA (Embroidery Guild of America) and went to a local chapter meeting where a couple of ladies seated around me asked what I stitched. I told them crewel and asked about theirs. They told me cross stitch and once I tried it I would never go back to crewel. I politely poo-pooed their claim. I guess about a year later I took a cross stitch workshop at my local public library with a friend and went away intrigued about it. It took me several attempts to figure the whole thing out, but the warning the EGA ladies gave me came to pass, I was hooked. Now the difference back then between cross stitch and needlepoint, beside the obvious ones, was that needlepoint always had to have complete coverage of a design, while cross stitch allowed unstitched areas of background, but as time has passed, I noticed that there are now more designs that have complete coverage as well. The Ladybug Lake piece is a good example of this.

So while this creative endeavor can be tedious and very detailed oriented, it is always one in which I love to count on. Pun intended!