I was fortunate enough to have my ten year-old niece Megan up for a week-long visit this summer. (She was actually nine at the time. Her birthday is tomorrow… Happy Birthday Megan! ) She helped organize my workshop, a necessary task that I am not always motivated to do, as well as clean and prepare the pre-owned Coach bags I’ve recently added to my space.
In exchange for her dutiful services we worked on some functional furniture and design elements for her new bedroom. The problem: a tiny room measuring 6’x11’ and a very artistic 5th grader in need of some workspace. So, I found this bunk bed on craigslist for only $65 with the idea that we could convert it to a loft. This way she would have space for projects and homework.
When my niece arrived we discussed what color palette she wanted. Since black and green are her “favorite colors” we went in that direction and added light blue and a touch of purple. I let her make all the final decisions and had her help out with the execution of the projects as much as possible. This was a different experience for me as I’m usually the one with the final say. I had to let go of any need to control the outcome of the work and just let the results be. It was a very freeing experience.
In my previous blog I discussed my sewing addiction gone cold. With Megan here I finally blew the dust off my sewing machine and let it’s needle soar once more. This was Megan’s first machine sewing experience…and I loved every minute of it! We started with a mini pillow for practice and then she made a large pillow complete with a decoratively stitched edge. My 16-month old daughter Ella even got involved!
Working with Megan was a wonderful experience as she is incredibly intuitive and creative. Her instincts and consistent ability to quietly problem solve had me intrigued. She truly has an incredible gift and so much potential. I’ve found that after Megan has left my work has become more inspired. I am truly thankful for the opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment