The Need to Create

Once again I showed my husband one of my projects I am working on tonight (a dress coat for one of my girls, that I am really excited about and will be posting about soon) and he kind of half jokingly said, "How much are you selling this one for?"  To which I roll my eyes, as usual, and say something to the effect, "Nothing, but I'm saving us X amount of dollars by not buying it."  You see, I don't think he gets it.  I create because it's my outlet.  I need something that is mine, that I've made, that I've planned out and seen through to the end. Maybe if I worked outside of the home, I wouldn't feel that way because I would be getting that feeling from whatever it was I would be doing.  But as it is, it is hard for me not to be doing or creating something.

Last week, we went camping for a week and I didn't take any kind of project along. (I had thought about some knitting that wouldn't have been too messed up by the sand and dirt from camping on the beach, but decided against it).  By the end of the week I was wanting to carve something out of wood.  I need to be creating.  It is part of who I am.

When we got home from camping my 'American Patchwork and Quilting' magazine was waiting (a gift from my quilter mother...I love looking at them, but am not much of a quilter myself).  In one of the ads for accuquilt was a quote that struck me. Jane of TX said in response to the question "Why do I quilt?", "I think all women have an underlying need to create a life or a piece of art, all women want to create something." She then says how quilting helps her achieve that.  This struck something within me and reminded me of these words I heard a few years ago:

I think this touches at the heart of what I feel.

Sewing for me is my way to create.  I have other ways as well.  I love to knit, work with felt and even take pictures, but sewing is the most practical of those.  It allows me to create while also having an end result be of purpose and useful.  I guess sewing justifies my need to create.  Maybe someday I will be able to have the time and money to create just because I want to have the end result be something beautiful, but for now it has a duel purpose and I'm okay with that.