This morning of Harikuyo, I awoke to a gray day. Today is the day that I take the broken needles from the back page of my needlebook and lay them to rest.
My needlebook was waiting for me right where I had left it.
It gets used quite often so it can get pretty messy and disorganized over time.
I use that little pocket in the front to hold curved and super-tiny size 16 beading needles that would bend if placed in a page...
Just like last year, I placed my broken needles in a soft cottonball cloud...
Only two this year and both were beading needles. One of them is burned, poor thing. For the life of me I can't remember how...
I wrapped them in old pattern paper and placed them in the ground with a note of gratitude and a prayer for the future.
Fittingly, I buried them with the rose bushes this year because I could really use some help making Mrs. Rose's rose bower.
In particular...thorns...
Not sure yet how I'm going to make three-dimensional thorns for my roses so I'll take all the help I can get.
As I mentioned last time, I'm going to make a new needlebook. Probably has something to do with that Planning Fallacy problem I wrote about the other day. I have a bad case of it.
What I did manage to do was pull together the books I have on Mrs. Delany. She's my design inspiration for my needlebook. And I settled on this image as the design I'd like to use for the cover.
No surprise that it's a rose. I've got roses on the brain lately.
I wasn't stitching this morning.
Instead I awoke with a profound sense of gratefulness for all of you who have embraced the idea of honoring your needles. There really are hundreds of you who have taken the course, bought labels, shared the tradition with groups of friends. It's quite beautiful to think that by writing a blog, one idea could catch on.
Along those lines, I've been reading a book titled The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde. It's hard to describe the full scope of this book; a fact the author readily admits to in the Introduction.
Ultimately it describes a problem -- the disconnect between the practice of art and common forms of earning a living. The first couple of chapters deal with the concept of gifts in myth, in fairy tale and in history. He gives example after example of how gifts are powerful, that "lifelessness leaves the soul when a gift comes toward us".
A work of art itself is a gift: it contains the the vitality of the artist's gift within the work and makes that gift available to others. "Works we come to treasure are those which transmit that vitality and revive the soul. Such works circulate among us as reservoirs of available life".
I love that phrase, reservoirs of available life.
He relays many instances of gift exchange both in fairy tale, myth and in native cultures. And one idea has struck me the most. In all the stories, the gift has to keep giving. It has to keep moving. If someone commodifies a gift by selling it...or takes it out of circulation to keep for themselves alone...then the gift ceases to be a gift.
Which leads me to today.
I believe that the idea for this needlebook was given through me as a gift; and all of you who have supported that gift by buying the class, kits or labels...allowing me to cover my costs and do what I love. But a part of each transaction remains a gift. Something more has happened beyond the mere buying and selling of products And that something more should move on in the world and continue to give.
In honor of each one of you who have adopted this needlebook, this soulful approach to your needles, I have made a donation to Friendship Bridge.
Friendship Bridge's mission is to provide microcredit and educatioon to Guatemalan women so they can create their own solutions to proverty for themselves, their families and their communities. Many of them do that through traditional needle and textile arts. Check out their website here or follow them on Facebook here.
Take a moment to watch this and you'll see what I mean.
Thanks to you, we just might transmit some vitality and help to revive the livelihoods of a few women in Guatemala.
"Only when the increase of gifts moves with the gift may the accumulated wealth of our spirit continue to grow among us, so that each of us may enter, and be revived by, a vitality beyond his or her solitary powers."
I'm looking forward to sharing this day by visiting your blogs or seeing your pictures on instagram or Facebook. If you'd like, add your name and link in the Mr. Linky widget below so we know where to find you:
Here's to another year where we get the chance to stitch and to break some more needles.
The Harikuyo Needlebook E-course is now set up so you can take it anytime...no pressure, no deadlines. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read more about it here.
I also have a few needle labels remaining which you can purchase in my Etsy store should you wish to use your own fabrics.
Happy Weekend everyone. I'm off to finish my beading homework for class tomorrow...
When I launched my first online course last February, I decided to choose my Hari-kuyo needlebook as the course subject.
I had figured out all the details of the book and could make it in my sleep. What I really needed to figure out was all the other elements that go into offering a course: pricing, supplies/kits, videography, document transfer, communications, registration, etc.
I expected to have maybe 20 students, perhaps 30. Actual enrollment for that first class was double my most optimistic estimate and I was challenged to accommodate the scale of that request.
And now, here I am again, one week from launching Round 2 of the Needlebook E-Course and having just finished teaching the class to my local Embroiderers' Guild.
By the time I remembered to take pictures yesterday, there were only a few left of the original 20 women who had taken the course.
Like most things in life, what I had originally set out do with my initial class offering was met and then exceeded. I think I've realized that the actual making of the needlebook may be a draw for some; but the act of honoring our needles is what really has the appeal.
And I have been touched by all the methods in which bookmakers from all over the world have made their books their own, and added their own personal touches.
Barbara Meger took the basic original kit and focused largely on the golds and oranges. After finishing class yesterday, she had created a book for her needles that coordinated beautifully with her October sewing set: a black felt pin cushion, a scissor holder with a witch, and an ort holder made from Fall-colored fabrics.
They took the idea of honoring their needles and created their own personal versions.
Bee loves to dye using natural sources. She used bali batiks and her own wools dyed with chamomile tea and onion skins to create her felt pages and to tone down the white-ness of the labels...
Buttonhole stitch, using an earthy, variegated silk ribbon, edged all the pages.
And her inside cover "pocket", was a tree inspired by the bali fabric detail underneath...and the flower pot houses her needle threader...
And her last page, again is personal to her...A simple page of gratitude...
They are all as delightful as their owners who made them.
I am offering this E-course again beginning next Monday. You can read all the details here. There is no limit to the course offering...you will have access to the course videos and instructions for as long as you need them.
I am not sure I will offer this as an organized course again. Or, it may be quite some time before I do. To everything there is a season, and I'm ready to move onto other things.
If you paid for the course last time, but didn't make your book. Perhaps you will use the renewed momentum of the current group to finally finish your book.
Thank you to all my students, past and present. You have created a "Needlebook Chapter" in the story of my life that I had never expected would be there.
Now today, I'm off to stitch. Mrs. Rose has been very patient...
Old, gold silk and copper gears with embroidered bullions...
Finished beautifully into this miniature box...
It's only 3" tall x 2" wide!
I loved it so much that I bought it for Irene. Though she doesn't know it yet. (ahem. hi Irene. I have a present for you.)
It seems to me like Heather and Irene had similar ideas for their broken needles. (I shared Irene's needlebook last post...here.)
So I'd like to get Heather's coffin together with Irene's needlebook.
Who knows. Something very creative might come from a coffin full of broken needles.
And should you think that a coffin isn't necessarily the gentlest place for a tired and broken needle to rest. Well, this is no pine box. Heather lined this casket with velvet...
Nothing but the best for our beloved dead needles.
Happy Halloween everyone.
May your broken needles...rest in peace.
P.S. You can visit Heather's blog here. And her Etsy shop here. Thank you Heather, for a great idea. Note: This post was pre-scheduled before Hurricane Sandy hit, in anticipation of my loss of power. It seems a little trivial at this point given the devastation and loss experienced by those in New York, New Jersey and other areas in the Northeast. Sending love and support to all our friends who were affected.
Using her own fabrics and trims, Irene used the basic needlebook pattern to create her own personalized book with lots of special touches.
Like using an elastic and a big vintage glass button for the closure...
Her book has a Victorian, Harry Potter-ish feel to it, like it belongs to Professor McGonagall.
She used velvet for the cover and hand-dyed, plaid wools for the needle pages, giving her book a satisfied, chubby appearance...
The true sign of a well-loved, well-fed book.
She didn't like the overly white of the needle labels, so she toned them down with organza ribbons...
And gave her book a proper bookplate on the spine...
Don't you just love that?
But my favorite part of Irene's book is her last page.
Irene has a tendency toward the irreverent...she's not one that likes a lot of sap and sugar. So when it came time to create a page to honor her broken needles, the "Broken but not Forgotten" idea just didn't cut it with her.
Instead, she came up with this...
A place for her broken needles to RIP (Rest in Peace).
To die for.
She even angled the cuts on the top felt corners to resemble a tombstone.
Of course, we all loved her book. And, after listening to all our ooh-ing and aah-ing, Irene says, "Well, now that I'm collecting all these broken needles...I don't know what the heck I'm supposed to do with them."
Evidently, the heartfelt, personal memorial service honoring her broken needles probably isn't Irene's style either.
Well, tomorrow I'll show you a burial solution that will be perfect for Irene's needles. And it's just in time for Halloween...And no, it isn't a Jack Skellington pin cushion with broken needles sticking out it's head...though that isn't a bad idea.
I'll show you tomorrow.
Sandy update: We're fine. Never lost power. Sending healing thoughts and prayers to our friends in New York, New Jersey and the Northeast.
Needlebook Update: The Hari-kuyo Needlebook class is open for registration. Class begins November 12. You can read about the details of the class here. Join us. There are five different kits to choose from or use your own materials and make your own version of the needlebook like Irene did.
Take the class last time? Prior students still have access to the class blog (though it's temporarily closed for a few updates before class starts.) So why not finish that book that you may have started or make another book for a lucky friend...or two. Kits are available separately on the E-course page.
It's been fun creating all the different colorways...I can't wait to see them all made up. That's the best part.
Happy Monday everyone!
P.S. Should I drop off the radar in the next few days, it may be due to a loss of power aka Hurricane Sandy. We live on high ground and we've battened down the hatches. Let's just hope Mother Nature takes it easy on us all.
Thank you ALL for the wonderful comments in response to Audrey's magazine cover.
I tried to respond to all of you but there are many of you who do not have your emails attached to you Blogger profile. I'm just letting you know since a number of my BNFs have found that Blogger dropped their email from their profile without their knowledge.
Again, thanks so very much. It felt like a party around here the past two days!
Next week I am teaching the Harikuyo Needlebook class to my Embroiderers' Guild. I've broken the course down into two sessions. We'll embroider the front and back covers in October and construct the book in November.
It just so happens that I also just finished a version of the book in silks, using little bits of special ribbons and trims.
Before stitching this book, I was worried that the silk wouldn't hide the binding stitches where the felt pages are sewn to the spine...
It actually didn't look bad at all so I was pleased to have a "fancy", gaijin (Japanese for "foreigner") version of the book for those who are using their own fabrics...
I'll be offering this needlebook e-course again this Fall. If interested, you can learn more about the Harikuyo tradition in Japan and the needlebook course here. Additionally, if there is anyone who took the course last time and didn't get to finish, you are welcome to re-join this group. Just let me know.
Someone asked if I'll be making kits like this one? Unfortunately, I cannot.
I intend to give a couple of options for kits but all of them will be using traditional japanese fabrics in the spirit of the book. That being said, there is an option to take the class without the kit and use any fabrics you choose.
There were a number of folks who did that last time; you can see some of them in our Flickr group. Or perhaps, like my Guild members, you can make one using the kit to learn on...and then branch off and make another once you're an experienced bookmaker.
Additionally, I've re-stocked the label sets in my Etsy shop so if you need them, they are there.
I'm off to make kits for next week. Luckily my friend Carolyn is coming over to help me cut up all those bits of fabric and felt. God bless her, I am so grateful for the help.
If all goes well, I'll get to start my next Reflections block tomorrow. I'm chomping at the bit!
This week I find myself back in the world of needlebooks.
Next month, I will be teaching the Harikuyo Needlebook to my local Embroiderers' Guild so I am gathering supplies for those kits. I'm also playing with alternate colorways using traditional Japanese fabrics...
Additionally, I'm designing a few romantic versions of the needlebook using silks, flowers and more feminine colors.
Since I'll be knee-deep in needlebooks next month, I'm also considering teaching a Fall version of the Harikuyo Needlebook course that I offered last February. You can check out all the great books made from that course in the Harikuyo needlebook Flickr group here.
I have a running list of interested folks so if you emailed me your interest, you should be hearing from me in the next few weeks about possible start dates. I'm thinking the end of October or beginning of November as a class start date.
If you have any questions or are interested in getting on that list, please email me. I'm planning to offer a number of limited edition kits in addition to the standard one that we used last time.
The Hari-kuyo Needlebook E-course is winding down.
And so is my dance with needlebooks for this Spring.
I just finished up the ties on this pastel version the other day...
It was a thrill to see needlebooks made all over the world...I especially loved the many little tweeks and personal touches that each bookmaker added to make their needlebook special.
Give yourself a treat and visit the Flickr group for the class to see how to say "Broken but not Forgotten" in different languages...
And to feast your eyes on all the different fabrics and approaches that were taken with this needlebook.
If you or someone you know is interested in taking this class...I will be offering it again...maybe in the Fall or January 2012. I'm not sure exactly when, but it will be before the Hari-kuyo festival in February of next year. If you'd like to receive advance notices about the next class, email me and I will add you to the mailing list.
In creating the lessons, I happened to make a few extra books along the way.
I have this one Needlebook available for sale today, first-come, first-served...
She was my Cover Girl and starred in all my photo shoots...
I'll miss her but it's Spring and it's time for this one to fly the coop...
Sold.
Thanks to you all for the support and enthusiasm you've given to my first online course offering.
It was a real thrill to offer a class to bookmakers all over the world from my own home here in Maryland. I still can't get over how cool that is...
I hope to offer more online courses in the future. I have some fun ideas cooking up in my brain but I'd love to hear from you. If you have any desires on what type of class you might like to take, drop me an email and let me know your thoughts...
