Autumn Leaves

Today I felt inspired to make a garland of autumn leaves, my daughters talked about celebrating the season with decorations over the summer. So when I saw a young tree in my local park with a scattering of beautiful burgundy red and orange leaves around its base, I decided now was the time. I have learnt that you cannot wait for others to start things ie my daughters to choose the leaves under duress of my encouragement. Life starts now, in this moment, the moment where we decide to empower ourselves and do the thing that will bring us joy. I knew that picking up the leaves and piercing them in the perfect place carefully with my needle and orange thread would bring me closer to the rich changing colours of each leaf.

There is an intimacy that sewing seems to inspire, a quietness, as we guide the yarn through whatever the material may be at hand. Sewing is a skill of old, a necessity of the past carried out by all of our ancestors, it is a motion that makes us look closely with more focussed intent. Each point of the needle stitching and creating something new for the world as time gently ticks by.

I am also a great believer as many of you will know that we lead by example, my daughters will see the garland and one faraway day they will feel the inspiration to do their own leaf display, just as I watched my mum creating. It is one of the ways humanity rolls, watching, learning, repeating, and sharing or at least I hope it is in this instance.

A woman once told me "don't tell me, show me" which shocked, embarrassed, shamed and inspired me, it has been a saying that I have held close to me and its meaning and my feelings associated with it have changed many times over the years. Yet it felt appropriate today as I collected those leaves before they were taken by the wind, where they would rot down and miss out on the admiration that they have now, as they hang across my mirror displaying their beauty.

I guess what I want to share with you here and now is strike while the iron is hot! Act now for this moment is always the most important, claim it for yourself and all else will follow as it needs to, nothing is ever lost and everything that needs to be done, will get done.

Wishing you the best of the best always and forever - Helen ❤️🙏❤️