Collaboration

I'm working on a cross stitch piece now that was begun by another gifted stitcher, a woman I never met by the name of Kemberly. I decided that because she had put so much love and attention into beginning the piece that I would enjoy completing it as a continuation of her legacy. And I have learned a bit about her in the process.

To begin with, she was very meticulous in her attention to threads and fabric. Her DMC threads were carefully wound onto the bobbins with no overlap. I'm always much less careful about winding on threads, so sometimes my threads are twisted and mishapen as a result. I appreciate the care that she took in preparing to use her skill.

I also realized early on that she was a bit impatient with the subtle shading that was represented in the piece. When I first looked at the pattern, I was confused as to why some colors were crossed out. I guessed that maybe she had already used those colors, but that was not the case. What I finally realized is that she just did not want to use all the colors designated, so she crossed out and substituted that ones she did not want to stitch. It makes me chuckle to think of that. Creative spirits take patterns and turn them into their own creations.

Kemberly completed three pages of the complex design that reproduces Leonardo Da Vinci's Madonna painting. I have nearly completed five more pages, and hope to complete the work by the beginning of 2020. The work of both of our hands will result in a completed work of art that will hang in another friend's home soon.

That's how legacies are created and sustained.