Goals

Last Spring I visited a friend of mine, who is an embroiderer, spinner and dyer. Deb has been developing a new line of work, and was setting goals for herself, taking her work in a new direction. We talked at length about how one does this; the new direction is often awkward, at first. Some of our habits from creating anything will apply, such as color choices, image choices, thread choices. So some aspects of the new work are present from the old work and do not need to be learned anew.

But some things are new: new materials, new ways to use old materials, new tools.

She told me about a friend of hers, a painter, who was learning a new medium, and decided to paint 100 small paintings in the new medium, experiments, quick studies, just 100 paintings, to become comfortable with the material, and test the media out to see how to incorporate its qualities into her work.

This seemed like a grand idea on "how to train yourself". I do not know if it is an original idea (off to google: can't find it in the first few hits of "making 100 things", most were about a 100 things challenge to de clutter!) (I laugh because making 100 *new* things will only add to my clutter!). At any rate, Deb decided she would make 100 small embroideries, and I took on the challenge of making 100 leather bags.

I am not starting from scratch. I will count, but offhand I've made (or am in the process of making, some are still unfinished) 13 leather/textile bags already (If, and I do, one counts the Pink Suitcase). This is in addition to the many all-textile bags I have made, and the beaded bags, which number in the "over 50" category. Some day soon I will do a few posts about the "old" bags, those in beads and knotted pile.

So! I have about 87 leather & textile bags to go. IF! I do make 100 bags, I will have learned a great deal. My hands will be more able, I will know the materials better, know the tools, I will have refined the tools I need to do what I want to do, my mind will be able to think more clearly in this medium, and my eyes and hands will see which designs worked or did not work.

I may feel competent well before 100 bags, and get bored. This is a goal, not a life sentence. I can change it at any time, if I feel I have reached the ends I wish to achieve. I am energized by the idea of 100 bags, big and small, some will be very small, and some, like a few of those first 13 bags, will be taken apart after construction, the parts re-used, the textile re-applied to another bag, so that I waste less, and have fewer bags when all is said and done.

After all, how many bags does one need? I am using them as teaching tools, samples, and the losers will be cut up and re-used.

Deb and I worked on our dyebooks a few weeks ago, Color By Number, then we took some time to make a few things. I made three knotted pile panels for 3 separate bags:



I also made her finish the small embroidery above (which she does not care for, but which I love!) and she gave me the little tapestry above, which she says has hung around her studio for years.

So I have 5 (!) more bags in the queue. See how easy this is? I am anxious! to get started. I can't wait to see how these come out. I have planned and changed plans already in my head several times, it is so much fun to think about!

And that's why I do all of this to begin with: I totally love doing it. I love thinking about it, planning them, not necessarily having them, but having the joy of making them. 100? We shall see :).