Readers,
I’m writing this from Columbus, Ohio, where I’m staying with my sister and photographer, Cynthia DeGrand, and her husband. Columbus is having the snowiest winter in recent years, and is not very much of a change from snowy Minneapolis–so why would I visit now? Because Columbus is going to be Jack’s and my new home!
This summer Jack will retire from his English-teaching career. We’ve decided after 25 years in Minnesota to move back to our home state of Ohio. We both grew up here (different cities) and earned our undergraduate degrees here (different colleges). We also both still have family in Ohio.
But more pertinent to Getting Things Sewn is the fact that I will be living close enough to Cynthia to make full use of her photographic experience and inventiveness.
This first year of Getting Things Sewn we’ve done some shoots in her studio in Columbus, at my house in Minneapolis, and in New York’s garment district. When we haven’t been together, which has been 90 percent of the time, I’ve taken pictures, with occasional help from Jack.
I’ve tried to work within my limitations, but they are limitations. I’ve often had ideas for posts or series that I’ve shelved because I don’t have the photographic capabilities to create images to accompany the text. In a few months I see this changing dramatically. Not only does Cynthia have technical expertise, she has a great imagination. So when I mention an idea for a project, a single post, or a series, she starts brainstorming about images we can create.
So, a greater photographic presence for Getting Things Sewn and a greater creative partnership are in the offing. These are exciting prospects.
The challenges in the coming months will be–you guessed it–getting things sewn. How can I help get our house ready to sell, edit our possessions, househunt, move, and still make sewing progress?
Before starting Getting Things Sewn, I probably would have decided just to close down my sewing operations for a few months to devote myself to the whole buying, selling, and moving process. I would have proceeded on the assumption that I couldn’t make sewing progress. But since I’m on this hero’s journey to realize my sewing dreams, I’m proceeding on the assumption that I can.
Changing my assumption is certainly going to change what I try, what I do, and what results I accomplish. How can I know what I can achieve if I don’t experiment?
As Cole Porter wrote, “Experiment and you’ll see.” Will I ever!
Gertrude Lawrence – Experiment 1933 “Nymph Errant” Cole Porter Songs (youtube.com)
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