Something From Nothing

***This post was supposed to have appeared as a guest post on another blog back in November.  The author of the other blog abandoned her guest-posting project, however, leaving this post and those of many others unpublished.  Not cool.  Am I irritated, do ya think?  Just a little.  Pretty rude behaviour, in my opinion.  So, because I put a load of work into the post, I’m publishing it here, late, and hope that you’ll enjoy it. ***

Are you familiar with Phoebe Gilman’s Something from Nothing, a retelling of the classic Jewish folktale? It’s a gorgeous story about a tailor and his grandson and the blanket that becomes, among other things, a handkerchief, a tie, a button, before the fabric of the garment deteriorates and the last remnant, the button, is lost. (EcoDad did an editorial read of this for me and insisted I state that the book concludes with the little boy telling the story of his coat’s transformation over the years, hence, something from nothing. He, EcoDad, was concerned that I was falsely painting the narrative in a dismal, grim light.)

I first encountered the story when my mom worked at the Jewish Community Centre. I was in my mid-childhood and was enchanted by the grandfather’s undaunted refabrications. Gilman’s version of the tale came to my attention during my years as a children’s librarian. I was re-enchanted by the grandfather’s skills and by the rich, shimmering fabric of the ever-changing garment in Gilman’s illustrations.

Something from Nothing was one of the first books I bought for my daughter after confirming my pregnancy. And, as I had hoped, she loves it. She loves Gilman’s little mice, who make use of the fabric scraps that are created with the grandfather’s every alteration. She loves Joseph, the little grandson who scampers to his gentle grandpa whenever his garment needs to be fixed. Her delight is my delight. We love this book.

Some Christmas a few years back, maybe as much as a decade back, my aunt and uncle gave me what became my favourite pyjamas. They’re a soft, brushed blue flannel and are the most comfortable, and cutest, jammies I’ve ever owned. And you know what? The fabric of these wonderful jammies looks JUST like the Something from Nothing fabric. They have the same richness of colour as little Joseph’s blanket. They feature glinting, unspecific celestial bodies. I suspect the cloth buyer at La Senza has read and is as charmed by Something from Nothing as am I.

So, last winter when my fat ass finally wore through the butt at the same moment as my knobby knees tore through the bed in the legs, I withdrew my beloved pyjamas from my wardrobe. But I held on to them for something special. I didn’t know what that something special might be, I only knew that when I found it, I would know.

A couple of weeks ago, in a terribly uncharacteristic move, I was browsing on Etsy.com. (I know, you’re nearly fainting from shock. Perhaps I should have begun this post with a warning, hey?) I came across this. Bells started going off and lights started flashing. It was an a-ha moment if I ever had one.

And so, I’ve acquired a pile of embroidery hoops. I’ve put some of my super jammie fabric into a few of them. I’m stitching up a storm. My own Something from Nothing is underway. In addition to the material of my pyjamas, I’ve stretched the fabric of some of EcoKid’s outgrown, worn-out sleepers. I’ve got ten hoops. And I’m stitching up ten letters into significant fabric from my life. Ten letters: M-O-T-H-E-R-H-O-O-D.

Motherhood: I guess that’s the real core of my little story of reuse and regeneration. Joseph’s mother is not a nurturing, encouraging figure in Something from Nothing. Each time her son shows her his fraying garment, she responds to his distress with a peremptory “Throw it out!” (Joseph’s mother is clearly not as concerned about waste as I am.)

I like reinventing the mothering role in the tale. The grandpa is a wonderful figure and my dad is a great guy, but I don’t think I can talk him into sewing. I like being the momma who re-creates instead of rejecting. It works with my sustainable living ideals. It works with my homeschooling goals.

And let’s face it. I’m a mother; I’m also a self-centred, self-indulgent chick. I like to make everything about me. Even a sweet little tale about a boy, his grandfather and gorgeous piece of cloth– I mean, OBVIOUSLY it’s really all about mothering and about my ideals, right?

Related posts:

1. Building Christmas Traditions When I was a kid, my favourite part of the...
2. A Dress for EcoKid Remember that sewing machine I bought with my friend H?...
3. A Very Special Christmas Gift ECODAD, DO NOT READ THIS POST!!! Don't worry folks, he...
4. Craft Update, 16/02/2009 Link through for a photo gallery post of recent craft...
5. Snapshots of Today 21/12/2009 The whole day wasn't captured by camera, but several key...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.