I realized that my mother's passion didn't have to end with her.
My mother passed away just over a month ago and it still doesn't seem real. On one hand it seems a lifetime ago; yet on the other hand it seems like it happened just yesterday. It just doesn't seem possible that she died only a few weeks after turning 61. It's just too young. I know she had so much more to share with the world and I feel we'll forever be missing works of art that she still had yet to bring to life.
So why am I writing this blog?
A couple weeks after my mother passed away, I was at her house cataloging items so my brothers and I could try to begin figuring out what to do with her belongings. Her entire house was like a workshop for spinning, knitting, weaving, quilting and more. As I went from room to room, project after project sat either unstarted or unfinished. So much of my mother's creativity was left (in some cases literally) on the drawing board. I couldn't help but think that it would be such a shame for no one to ever see what she had in store for us.
I decided right then and there that I wanted to save at least a few of her projects to finish myself. By the time I had gotten home that evening, I had dreamt up the idea for this blog. I would pick projects of my mother's to finish and blog about the process of doing so. Even just the thought of doing this gave me a small feeling of healing.
You see, my mom wasn't sick. We had no warning. I got a phone call out of the blue on a Friday afternoon saying that she had fallen and it wasn't looking good. By the time I made it to the hospital, the doctors had stabilized her, but it was quickly evident that she wasn't actually going to recover. We were able to say goodbye before she physically passed, but I can't help but feel like I never really got to say goodbye to her. She was truly gone before I ever made it to see her.
So this blog in a sense is my way of saying goodbye to her. But it is also so much more. In the 'Our Story' page I mention that the inspiration for the name 'Discovering Dianne' came from the fact that her and I share the middle name Dianne. But it is more than that. I want so much to discover my mom's passion for creating art with textiles and fiber work. The only way I can think of to do that is to follow in her footsteps and work through the same projects that brought her so much joy - discovering what made her tick.
The thing you need to know about my mother is that she loved the process of creating - not just the finished product. As with any artist, you have to enjoy the act of creating otherwise you'll never learn new skills. The other thing you need to know about her is that she was the forever perfectionist. Both of which allowed her the patience to try new skills over and over and over again until she got it just right.
I've never been quite as patient as her when it comes to this type of work, but I suppose that is a skill that I will have to discover along the way. Challenge accepted! I am, however, extremely goal driven. Therefore, I'll wrap up this first post with my goal for this blog.
What I hope to accomplish in the next year:
Run my mother's craft show booth in Ottawa, Kansas on Saturday, September 21, 2019 (she had already signed up for it)
Knit a fair isle sweater
Knit a pair of socks
Spin at least one full wool fleece
Sew an entire quilt - start to finish
Finish at least one of the quilts my mom had started
Weave something... (To be honest, weaving is the skill that scares me the most!)
Run a craft show booth next year in the Fall of 2020 to show off what I've accomplished over the previous year
I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. I have very basic skills (at best) in most of these areas, but no where near the knowledge that my mother did. Good thing is, I don't like to shy away from the unknown.
If you have any tips, please send my way!