Needle Work, Fabric, Threads, the Preferred Medium in Writing!

OK, so crappy title, LOL,

if you've noticed I have added some more embroidery-textile blogs, some of this I might say, oops, is entirely for selfish reasons. I know, terrible :0, but it saves me time, to write here, then click on my own blog to go to other mediums, to pick up my work When I am working on that part of my life, etc., rather than to dig through bookmarks, etc., not only that, I wanted to begin at least, to reveal how women using the needle and thread can and Do make a difference. Many of course work with needle strictly for personal love of the art or for business, but there are a few who also combine their art with their activism or other non-profit type of services.

I also added and will be adding more to the Dare to be Different And Just because they Inspire me, other textile blogs, that are similar, in that they can be either business, personal or combined with non-profit, But I also wanted to add a combination of these types of textiles

to inspire others who might have skills or want to learn them, because as you can see, if you do enough browsing/lurking, you can gain a lot of inspiration to also how to USE materials that you may have in your own home--recycling, reconstructing and well, in that, you contribute to more ethical consumption and being good steward of our planet, etc.,

but you know, most of all, I have found, that using needle and thread, Can be and is Therapy.

Not only that--it is a Huge part, both historically and currently, a Woman's somewhat Only space. Which is great, Right?

In other words, what I love about these types of blogs, and nature blogs included is that they are the one place, I can go to during the day, where usually, excluding a few, you don't have to read about hours upon hours of men, men and men, because the center focus is NOT on men. Sure, there are a few that will focus on husbands, so forth, but not usually,

and well, its just kind of nice, to see artwork/arts about women, for women, By women. Be it cooking or painting or textiles or sewing, etc., its just kind of nice--and if not about women, then nature. Because I do write a lot about women's rights, labor and so forth, not as Much on this blog as I have others, I do find that I need to break away from it, just for my Own sanity,

or else I can start to get a little cuckoo in the head. Years of working in human rights advocacy did that to me, it made me a little nutty--same with the working in political, that is because when you fill your days doing nothing But reading horror after horror account, be it war, torture, rape, violence, poverty, well, it sort of does color your world and vision in all blacks and browns and grays. It can get so depressing and for years that was ALL I FOCUSED ONE,

I never saw pinks or greens or pastels, nor kindness or warmth or love, just cold, dark, bloody death. I even dreamed these things--it wasn't until one day, commenting on somewhat another negative focus blog that I clicked on an Indie blog site, and I remember, as IF it were yesterday, how I cried, broke into pieces when I looked through these blogs of beautiful things created by women, for women...how I then knew,

all that beauty I once had, as a child, was being destroyed in me, that also had a lot to do with Why I did get out of the radical political, materialist and the whole 'hate the female' world--it took some time, but I saw, how the Other side of misogyny, was literally, killing my soul.

Later, I would pick up my embroidery--years out of practice, amazing how one can forget So much, and even picked up the sewing again--I remember how it felt so foreign to me, I even felt like a traitor, after all, I for years fought for the hardened revolutionary ideal woman, a woman I would learn about and be somewhat 'manipulated' into becoming in the years I was in college--the new post modern feminist, radical anti-status quo feminist, etc.,and add that to the influences of Leninist socialism [though I was not oblivious to the blatant misogyny and betrayals to women there],

and it took a lot of time, to get ME back. I really couldn't believe Just how much of ME was lost...and needed to be recovered. What IS so ironic about it is that I got into all those movements to recover the ME that was destroyed/erased in the cult-like dogma of Religion, not Christ-like Christianity, but in dead, male centered Religion, and legalism. Only to find, that on the Other side of the fence, I would just be Erased again, just in another way.

But it was Because of this, and my going or being wooed back, more like it, back to my faith in Christ, rather than 'legalism' and 'dogma' that I would then see, just how much in Common the two opposing Poles have, rather than differences, particularly where misogyny is concerned--the hate of the 'female' or 'womb',

doesn't matter really IF its constructs or biological, because bottom line--its the Female that is hated, demonized, and the male values [or supposedly values or characteristics] that are Glorified,

in both extremes.

So during this process, that did take time, I picked up needle or sewing machine--and began, along with reading and writing and a lot of thinking, getting in that silent place where I could HEAR the voice of the Holy Spirit--

to weave it together and to sort out the dross, and things began to make a bit more sense and somewhere in this pile of mess, God found ME again, and began to restore Her.

I'm still in that recovery process and through it, I am also wondering, a lot, about the harms and erasures done to women, because of misogyny, ideology I think is a big one and other types of dogma, including some feminist dogma, as much of an irony that may sound--it does exist. But not only that either,

one thing that Does always stay in the back of my mind--is the issue of Privilege, you see, it Does take privilege to have the Time and Resources it takes to spend hours upon hours sewing, doing needleworks, etc, and you know, most women, simply do NOT have that luxury--it is here, that the more radical of leftists, are right,

while I am in no way rich, I am married--though we are low income--I do have time, not much but some, to do sewing, etc. When I was a single parent, working sometimes two jobs, the last thing I had time for, was sewing...

and for millions of women, including married women whose husbands demand their entire time just to be slaves to them....that time allotted to do needle work, or any kind of art--is just, well, not viable.

I think, that sometimes women in the cottage industry, forget this very real ugly fact--and this IS where there is a Huge class divide,

you especially see it, when you get into looking at the sweatshop world, the other side of the whole textile industry, it Isn't all pink and pastel and pretty.

So, like Tina Modotti, photographer and revolutionary, herself said, "I cannot solve the problem of life by losing myself in the problem of art." I never forgot that...nor her real life story either, another woman, who felt so much passion for ideology [communism] but like other women, learned the hard way--the betrayals, I do believe she Was murdered by one of Stalin's thugs, its not been proven but I am of that belief. So, now its how to work out the two,

you know its funny, Mao and Stalin both hated embroidery, they hated women--no wonder how much Mao spewed his women hold up half of the sky nonsense--sure, if it was their Legs holding it up...legs in the Air that is, [sorry, my bitterness coming through there, oh, one day I shall have to disclose the lies of the far left],

but anyway, they both hated it...oh, but what Is so hypocritical about the iron fisted misogynists, is that while they demonized the supposedly 'bourgeoisie' arts, sewing, painting [unless it was socialist realism under the rule of non-Artists for propaganda] and cultural women centered works, they Loved the artwork and Lines of

bombs and guns and tanks and of course, the newest methods of Torture and psychotic drugs. Those 'male' things, why they were esteemed and held in high honor. Stalin hated fashion, and shoes, one pair identical for Everyone, same with Mao, but they sure loved the pomp in the parades [with them as the 'god' to be worshiped]and the next in assembly line killing device. Capitalists are no better--so for those who embrace capitalism as the all moral way--lets not forget, WWI was THE stage for the assembly line 'gun', as well as Mustard Gas.

Don't believe me, watch Military Channel for three months--can't decide what is the biggest expenditure,

killing devices or fashion or maybe Both? And both, products or creations rather, of PATRIARCHY. [love of men]

So, well, anyway,

so yes, working with needle and thread, fabric, Has become more for me than just a craft and in fact, I hate that term, to me it is a diminishing of the real value of Women's ART WORKS, emphasis on WORK--LABOR--CONTRIBUTING TO THE SOCIETY--PRESERVATION OF BOTH CULTURE, HISTORY-HERSTORY AND OF WHOLE ETHNIC TRIBES.

No wonder the social engineers and despots Hate it so much--just like they hate the female--like Ardent said, they 'move those undesirables out of the way for Progress',

question is though, Who decides, what is undesirable or who rather, and what is Progress? Those in Power, that's who...

so then its no wonder really why Mao hated embroidery, in fact, he said, and I quote: “A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”

and Stalin said: “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.”

Hmmm, sort of sounds like the usual 'women who don't agree with their husbands are Jezebels and must be controlled, etc., mentality we hear in the so called Christianity 'cults' and 'dominion' movements...

can't have women creating and having ideas, why its Violence that is more esteemed and can't have women Thinking ideas and creativity, how dangerous That would be...

you get my point.

Funny though, how it was GOD Himself, that encouraged art, painting, embroidery, weaving, even to the point where He said through Moses, have those who know such skills, work to build the tabernacle and temple, both men AND women. GOD, God wasn't Threatened by needle or by ideas,

Amazing isn't it? Nor was He threatened, by women.

Wow--

but the, GOD, created Women, in HIS image [God is Spirit, not gender and in His Word shows both male-female traits, I use His/Him/He rather than he-she all the time],

so, well, gee, and well, if one doesn't Believe in GOD, well, I say, go outside, look at the world--the Natural world, at the detail, at the painting, at the embroidery in leaves and the textures, HE is, after all, the Master OF ALL ART FORMS,

GOD, the ALMIGHTY, THE ALL POWERFUL, THE MAJESTIC, THE PAINTER OF SKIES, THE FINEST EMBROIDERY IN THE VEINS FROM FLOWERS TO LEAVES TO THE CORAL REEF...to the SCULPTURES OF MOUNTAINS AND ROCK FORMS, TO THE NEON COLORS OF SPACE, LIGHT...

funny--how HE didn't feel threatened by the art work of women nor men. All He asked, is that we do not Worship them--that we Do not forget HIM,

Our Creator. The one who designed us all, the potter, us the clay, each on of us, our own dna blueprint--what an Amazing artist and genius He is,

IF you think about it--just the Foods He created, HE had to have known All the mixtures of all the various food sources throughout our Entire World--and how they would combine throughout the Entire world, to please, Every tongue, created--all over the globe, in one way or another, sweet or sour,

you know, if That isn't Genius, What is?

Not only food, but textures for touch, colors for eyes, smells for our noses, sounds for our ears, and taste for our taste buds, etc. Millions of people, all having access to Things they love, as Individuals, no two alike...

the Master Artist and more.

so Art as therapy--you betcha, and who else to teach, but the Master Himself.

In solidarity, Love, in Christ,

see also, under Inspire Blogs for You--a history of textiles, this one, about Iceland--Christian Embroidery.

http://thetextileblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/icelandic-christian-embroidery.html

Jane