Responding to Prompts

As I say to the visitors at the art studio in the Chicago Children’s Museum, sometimes you have an idea of something you’d like to make, and sometimes you appreciate a prompt. When I first picked a needle up again during the Covid times, I had a few ideas of pieces to stitch, but I also enjoyed responding to the Stitchtober prompts.

Recently, all I could think of stitching was a piece for next Stitchtober, which, of course, is futile since the prompt list isn’t revealed until September. So I was glad to find another Instagram prompt to respond to – the Words to Live By Challenge. Although nothing except a piece I had already stitched – Never Let The Old Woman In – came to mind at first. Then I saw a fabric piece by Emma Carlow – an anchor with the word Hope – and I thought that’s my word to live by! On my way to get some graph paper to design my own hope anchor, my Hope sculpture by Bill Healy and a heart in hand card my friend Susan had sent for Valentine’s Day one year caught my eye. And my design was born!

In addition to the anchor and two hearts, I added some other symbols of hope – crosses, an olive branch, and a rainbow. Apparently, the number four is also a symbol of hope, so I filled the fingers with four stitches apiece.

I decided to outline the hand, which was challenging, but helped when I saw another prompt. One of the play and learning facilitators at the children’s museum has her own gallery – Yes Project Space – and she put out an open call for work to respond to the work of two poets – one of whom is another play and learning facilitator. As soon as I read his first poem, I knew I wanted to respond to it.

So I planned my piece “Minion Insurrection”. Since I couldn’t cross stitch a small photo of Walt Disney, I attempted a torn picture of Mickey Mouse – half is on the middle Minion’s sword and the other half on the ground at his feet.

My piece was accepted into the show, which is pretty exciting!

I wonder what I will find to respond to next…