Dearest Needlework Community and Beauty-full Hive Co-Creators!

I’m in a bit of a daze this morning, the day after our town’s 7-yearly Rites: the month of Agosto is always a peak of heat, socialising and festivities, but every 7 sun-cycles it also has this most potent and transformative collective catharsis, which I’ll reflect on in another post soon.. From a sewing perspective, the week has been joyfully and chaotically active, and the Riti even inspired some ideas for new projects…

the border where the main zip will sit: lining it with golden denim strips

The recycled-denim coat is almost finished; just it might need some tweaking to get the centre of it to sit like I want. The main issue is an over-attachment to one pair of jeans that I wanted to make the core shape of the new coat; it would’ve been better if I’d approached the shape of them anew, rather than trying to keep the original shape – as they didn’t fit in at the waist like I hoped. I will sit with the quasi-finita garment for a while, and see if a solution comes to the fore.

second white trousers from old nightdress (vintage cotton with strips of hand-laced needlework down the sides), which now have been taken-in some... my next investment should be a larger powerbank, so I can run an iron, heheh!

Remember the two pairs of glorious gigantic trousers I made last week? Well I sold one of them (above)! (Don’t worry @kesityu.fashion , not the ones that you love and which are destined to bless your gorgeous long legs!) This was such a lovely exchange of gift; the new friend who got them needed them taken in too, which is not so easy with my organically-constructed clothing: the waistband was quite thick and the strips of lacework down the side seams needed to be cut into.

the widening of the lower front, with these two borders which will hold the zip

But we had a great co-creative discussion about how to do it, and I love that we didn’t use a measuring tape at all; Rosalba told me ‘four-fingers-worth’ had to be taken in, and I used the experience to also pull the button closure in, which helped the top of the zip area look neater against the body. She tried them on and they were such a perfect fit. I am very pleased.

I spent quite a bit of time adjusting them, and could have asked for more recompense/ reciprocity for my time, however it is more important, I feel, to make a good and real connection with the ‘client’, and have a meaningful conversation and exchange. This is more likely to lead to a more relaxed and dynamic relationship in the future, where the ‘buyer’ can feel more free to share the good vibes, rather than contractually taking possession of garments and then wanting to keep them to themselves.

the zip is in! hand-sewn this time, as the machine tension seems to always go awry with zips, for me so far!

This is a really potent and world-changing practise, releasing the tension out of ‘selling’, and allowing the living exchange to take place (that would have been how we found what we needed in the long-lost true history of the world): there is no accounting, paperwork, diminishing or tension – and this lets something flourish energetically which would otherwise be dampened by the contrived roles that we feel squished into.

I love how the zip sits

I know that this might sound convoluted to many who think buying and selling is an innocent necessity, and have no problem with acting under commercial law. My worklife has been deeply immersed in alternative currencies and ways of exchanging gift, so in these contemporary times – as the conventional money structures become ever-tighter and perpetually-less-liberating for almost everyone – it is a serious joy and expansive purpose to free up every relationship, which previously would have been presumed contractual and limiting for all involved.

the back; not quite aligning how I want it - yet

Living In Gift, means opening a realm of dynamic exchange of needs and wants, without the involvement of governing-mente, or of the rigidity that stops the real friendship, the exchange of thoughts-ideas-inspiration, the sacred alignment of all things and the expansiveness that is supposed to happen when any two cosmic souls come into contact.

the back of the top also requires some more aligning...

We live in structures that are often devoid of expansiveness, even of pleasure – and instead are stuck in tiny wee sparks of adrenalin/ oxytocin when we buy stuff, which quickly loses its allure when we get home; we might never know the name of the person selling us stuff, nor the name of the person actually profiting from our purchase. We might not even think of the transaction again. Instead, I love the riches harvested by both parties in an exchange, when there is no time limit, no issue of ‘security’ – e.g. I gave the trousers to Rosalba take home and try and bring back the next day.

apart from from the madonna, this was my favourite garmentry in all the procession

None of the hierarchy either of purchaser having a kind of hold over the provider of the service/ product; this is a core aspect for me: as an artist, I was soooo very often treated like some kind of serf or geisha, expected to be infinitely flexible but without that natural reciprocity which now comes from how people come into my realm and are inspired to operate more freely and expressively. There is no need for power struggle in such situations.

l'uscita della madonna

I’m fortunate to live in a culture too, that despite all the nonsense with artificial hierarchies, nevertheless there is a consistently-booming natural economy also. I can lean into the intimate ways of connecting within subtle rete and ragnatele (‘nets/ networks’, and ‘spiderwebs’) with those I’m already connected with, which gives me the ‘right’ to weave into all of their friendships and family connections. This is the true inheritance of wealth, that comes with our warm human oneness, and which in my own culture has been wrung out for a greater part, by the pervading tension of time-poverty, lack of resources, and miserly thinking: the epitome of how humanity has been led into a cul-de-sac for slaughter.

Okay – that’s probably a bit confronting for Needlework Monday, but sometimes these things just bubble to the surface in a good old spice-of-life kind of a way, encouraged by happy sewing and fulfilling gifting of goods to others…. I also ‘sold’ two small paintings this week, as well as exchanging stories and insights, love and hugs with the beautiful man who wanted my Art in his home, so am feeling very aligned with and supported by the community, and hopeful for new ways opening up naturally and effortlessly, amongst the old crumbling ones.

Much love to you all today, and this creatively-expansive week!

www.claregaiasophia.com