This was to be a sample of simplicity. A few angular shapes stitched to some background. But it simply wouldn't stop. One thing led to another. And then I started patching the shape to make it square-ish. And I covered up the striped triangle (center left) with something rust-colored because the stripes were All Wrong. Which called for stitches on top to keep it in place.
Then, when I was about to toss it into the "Reminders of things to never do again" box, I saw a scrap of Ultrasuede lying on the embroidery table, and there was a lightbulb moment. I dug out lots of earth colors from my (entire) drawer of these wonderful scraps, and before I knew it, I was stitching them on top of what I'd already done. At the end of this stitching frenzy, the "sample" was finally finished. But, did it match the brief? In no way. I was so discouraged that I just moved on to the next set of instructions and hoped I could do better with it.
In the end, this one that galloped off, completely out of control, was my favorite. Catherine Russell commented that it looked like a map, and her comment made me realize how map-making has become such an important part of my personal imagery. Ways into things, ways around things, ways across things. How wonderful if today's world could be bridged by women stitching little blocks through the morass.
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