"Balancing Act"

A balancing act -- creating three different design patterns -- attaching them together using my own cording -- hanging bunches of thread from the bottom.

I had no preconceived notion as I began this project.  I only thought of the design using the three (which were actually four when I first began) panels one beneath the other. My thoughts were more on process than anything else.

But as the days went by and I worked slowly (sometimes too slowly to suit myself) I found that this piece was becoming a reflection of this month in my life.  I seemed to spend the whole month of January balancing my stitching with the rest of my life.  Each day seemed to speed by and I would look back wondering what I had accomplished.  Guilt would creep in, almost like the cold from outside the door -- why wasn't I working faster?  Then I would give myself a stern talk - "why are you in such a hurry?"

And so I balanced, sometimes precariously, other times easily and I continued to work each piece.  Pulling it all together at the end was the very most satisfying thing I've done in months.  Perhaps giving more time to a piece lends it a weight that it might not otherwise have.  These are things I'll ponder as I begin my next design.

Note:  This is the largest punchneedle piece I have ever done.  The three sections are 12" long -- add the loops and fringe the total is 24" long.

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." - Thomas Merton