June TIF: first thoughts

Oh, the stories my stash could tell!

Some of the things I’ve gathered have histories that I have an inkling about, like the silk threads from my friend Rita’s estate—she used to use them to embroidery delicate floral pendants, my grandmother’s tatting, Susan’s mom’s blouse in this lovely cotton print, the bits and pieces I can’t bear to discard. Some are more mysterious: the bag of lace bits sent to my by Jenny’s mum, the half-finished embroidery or the embroidered hanky found at antique shops. There are souvenirs, like the trims bought in the outdoor market in France, the fibers and fabrics purchased at the EGA National Seminar last year, and the buttons found in an antique shop on our way to Minnesota. The gifts from friends also have stories to tell.

Some of the histories have been created by me: the piece of linen purchased for a sampler that’s now smaller, the rest used for band in April’s Take-It-Further challenge. The thread I bought simply because I loved the color and had no idea what I could do with it—some of it is also in the April TIF piece

Stash isn’t only the fibers and fabrics and embellishments that fill our basement. It’s also the tools I love to accumulate, the books and magazines piled everywhere and now the great new electric stash, the Internet. All of them create a synergy that enables me to do whatever it is I do.

I definitely revel in my stash. Visit it, pet it, and bless it at midnight when I just have to have that perfect thread and there it is.

And then there are the stories to be told. Each time I visit my stash new possibilities open up. Every new thing I learn changes the palette. The question I see for this month is “What story does my stash want to tell right now?”

One of my greatest pleasures with this challenge has been to discuss it with my friend Jane. She’s collecting ideas each month for a future personal challenge and I love her insights into each month’s theme. I expect to see her tonight and am already anticipating our discussion, which will most likely continue and evolve over the next week or so.

I also really enjoy reading comments of many of the blogs about each month’s challenge. I found that now I tend to delay moving beyond thought to project until I’ve absorbed the comments of others.

So this isn't entirely text, here's a photo of my planter out front with it's new flowers. They are "Catalina Midnight Blue" Torenia. I have no idea about them but the tag says they like shade and shade we have in abundance (especially today since it's been raining all day). I bought two colors of them but I don't know what the second is called. On the back of the tag it's called "wishbone flower." They haven't had a chance to settle into the pot and are looking pretty unimpressive right now--I'm sure that will quickly change.