Untangle Yourself

My early hand sewing often ended up in a depressing tangle of knots. Stitching projects were left unfinished and pretty soon I concluded that I wasn’t much of a hand sewer.

So how is it that I now have my own completed tapestries, embroideries, and handquilting around the house. What changed?

Several years ago I attended a sewing class by brilliant designer and quilter Jan Mullen. As she demonstrated some hand stitching to the class her thread got tangled in a knot. Jan stopped and spoke to the class about knots.

She told us that she often gets knots in her threads. She told us that if she relaxed and played a little the knot would nearly always come undone. She told us to tease out the thread - no pulling or tugging. Jan demonstrated a light and playful touch.

This turned it around for me. Firstly if an experienced stitcher like Jan got knots in her thread it wasn’t some unique failing of mine. It was just part of a sewing life.

My knotty problems were no longer a cue for feelings of frustration and self reproach. Jan’s few words cast a magic spell over my attitude to knots. Each knot was now a playful possibility.

As is often the case in life, success built on success. If I get a knot in my thread now I feel confident I have a 90% possibility I can tease it out. If I can’t ..well, that’s just life…it is certainly no reflection on me.

I am sure there are a few zen masters out there who have been able to extend this understanding to their whole lives. So far I’ve only mastered untangling my sewing thread.

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