Starting Again

Where to begin?

It's a new year so I already feel thirteen days behind.

In 2014 I was a sporadic blogger, missing the flow, the partnership and the clarity that comes from regularly showing up here.  Sometimes you don't really understand what you gain from a habit until you fall out of the routine.  Who knew?  Absence makes the heart grow fonder...even when it comes to my blog!

After seven years,  I've come to love my relationship with my blog. And I must admit that I have quite a soft spot in my heart for all of my needle friends who show up here to share in my life, loves and creative efforts.  So, let me just say, I have missed you.

So, where to begin?  I can't possibly fill you in on all that's transpired in the past couple of months...that blows my mind just trying...just know that all is well.

All is well.  

Isn't that a beautiful saying?  So grateful that I can say that and hope that you can say the same.

In thinking of where to start and what to post today, I remembered the wisdom from one of my favorite books of all time, Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson...



She writes of thirteen maxims starting with:

1. Say Yes 2. Don't Prepare  3.  Just Show Up.  And...

4. Start Anywhere.  

I've almost memorized them all, I think of them so often.  I've blogged about the book before, remember the day when I tried saying "Yes" all day to Jack??

Here's what she says about maxim four ...

There's no need to find the right starting place.  With a big task or a confusing problem, when you don't know where to start, begin with the most obvious thing, whatever is in front of you.  The notion that there is such a thing as a proper beginning, and the search to find that ideal starting place, robs us of time.  We distance ourselves from the task, and the vision of what it will take to do it makes tackling the job seem mountainous.  Once a job is under way you have a new and more realistic perspective. You are inside the problem while looking at it, rather than standing safely at the perimeter.  The Start Anywhere rule is liberating.  It means that you can begin to make progress on some dream or dreaded task at any time.

How often I have robbed myself of time by thinking I needed to have all my ducks in a row before I could begin a project.

So let me begin as Ms. Madson suggests...with what's in front of me.

A couple of embroidery examples from the Golden Globes last Sunday night.

When Sienna Miller crossed the stage to present, she was wearing this dress...

As she walked, the light danced over the beading and embroidery and made me sigh with delight.  Her dress dazzled; and though I can't say I cared for the missing middle of her bodice, I thought the embellishment on the cloth was lovely.  Not too much...and just right.



The second dress that caught my eye was this piece by Chanel that a pregnant Keira Knightley wore...

It left me searching online trying to find close-ups.  Was it hand-painted?  Was it embroidered?

Though I didn't care for the ruffles top and bottom...I found the feathers and butterflies delightful.

The search for more...led me to this video...which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.

It was produced for Chanel's eleventh Métiers d'Art show held in Salzburg, Austria this past December.  The event celebrates the fine craftsmanship that its artisans bring to the Chanel collections.  I think you'll recognize these butterflies at the very end...



Happy New Year everyone.   Let us get to know each other once again and go on wonderful adventures in 2015.