Held in the palm of my hands, shoes for a 12 month old.
This pair of traditionally beaded baby moccasins were created on my birthday to mark a less ordinary day. I put aside meandering thoughts about taking the day 'off' to do something 'different' and not work because it was my birthday. But I felt nothing could be more special on a birthday than to make something because that is my favourite thing to do. The trick was to make something different. And in any case all my friends were at work until after dark. So I thought i'd spend the day in the studio putting aside all I had done before, see things a new, and make something that had been in a holding place as an image in my mind for 4 months since I visited Saskatchewan.
I put all my attention on this one, new, tiny pair.
And something unusual happened. I enjoyed making them far too much! this surprised me greatly because I thought I had reached a point of achievement in making the adults styles that have been the subject of my daily work life for years. Maybe it's because these are so cute and absolutely charm me, or because I can complete them reasonably swiftly with no tools other than a needle, scissors and thread. Whatever the answer, I'm happy to make more, and not only that, expand in to new styles and colours. I found myself reaching out to the local seamstress to have little draw-string bags made with a beautiful hand-woven indian ikat fabric that has been waiting to be made in to something for months. Some dot's started to join up...
I've been put on to a trail to track down local shearling so I can source the materials in the south west. One lead takes me to Uffculme in Devon where a historic and still working Victorian Woolen Mill chugs away. New people and places provide new perspectives.
So this is it for the moment. A 'one off' day temporarily forgetting everything I have made before has led to a flourishing and exciting new project.
What i've learned about this process is that putting aside what came before, even briefly, opens new and unexpected doors. Now I can use the best of what i've previously learnt, and gracefully (one would hope) adapt to a new rhythm on the path i'm already on.
Knowing when to stop repeating and start listening, enough to be moved to change is the best tool in the box.
Previously I would have thought that making baby moccasins not a 'serious' enough endeavour, well i've just looked serious up in the dictionary and I don't particularly want to be 'stony' 'humourless' 'grave' 'somber' 'grim' or 'dour' etc. The opposite is 'light hearted' and 'cheerful' - much better! Now having allowed myself the chance to explore something that had been tugging at my heart strings for months it has become a creative priority with a lot of life.
And it's these first tentative steps that are the most precious.