December 9, 2019

My current obsession is with the word "maker". Last weekend, I worked as an assistant for a friend of mine who sells her baking and mittens at a big flea market here in Ottawa. Her mittens are sewn from felted wool sweaters. When people complimented me on the work, I always made sure to point over to my friend who was working the baked goods table and proudly say, "My friend Melissa is the maker!" as I did not want to take any credit for her work. In this day and age of mass production that comes into Canada from all across the world, we have lost so much connection with raw materials and those who build or develop the item in our hand. I give away my handmade ornaments for Christmas and regularly receive comments from friends and family about how they treasure the ornaments each year as they place them on their Christmas trees. My heart is warmed by that connection being made.

I am a maker. I am driven to make things, to deconstruct the every day things in my house and figure how to make them myself and to make things. My urge to create has been suppressed these past few months because of work commitments. There just has not been the time, the energy or the drive to create, leading to a maker's block as it were. The urge to create has hit again and I am feeling so energized by it. This past week has been a flurry of organizing Christmas parcels that need to be mailed out. A batch of bits and bites was baked up the other day, dryer balls have been wound while watching television, ornaments have been stitched during a lazy Sunday yesterday and I mixed up a batch of laundry powder this morning.

The ornaments are being stitched on a scrap piece of 28 count either Lugana or Monaco with scrap threads that I am somewhat matching to the picture of the finished product in the book.

Can you tell which dryer ball might have been pushed off the table by the cat for the dog to unravel and for me to unsuccessfully try to re-wind? I hope that it felts well once I finally get them into the washer and dryer.

Now that the maker urge has hit again, I feel so much more content. There is such joy in watching a handful of raw materials turn into something that is useful or beautiful and to have it enjoyed by loved ones.

Happy stitching and making!