value and joy!
dearies,
thanksgiving is just around the corner, that time of year when our beloved agatha takes center stage! our youngest loves to “see her heart in her belly” by looking at the natural gas flames that run across her burner 24/7, visible through the small window behind the bottom left door.
so, have you read marie kondo’s book "the life changing magic of tidying up"? it felt like it must have been the most popular book read in 2016, everyone was talking about and referencing it! i did not read it myself, but understood its message to only to keep what brings you joy and move on the rest. yet, how does one define joy, and then related to that, how do you define value? how do you part with things that you have formed attachments to, that may have value but don't bring you the joy they once did? (i know, i know! maybe i should read the book?!)
mr. dearie and i were discussing this the other evening and agreed value is what you believe something is worth, not necessarily what you are told it is or should be worth. it's like art, completely subjective. i have acquired nice jewelry over the years which i value, has obvious monetary worth and definitely brings me joy. yet, i also have a lot of costume jewelry and many of those pieces are just as valuable to me, perhaps even more so, as i sadly discover should a piece get lost, broken or go missing.
last fall i fine-tuned my signature dress design and stitched up a pretty turquoise and cream winter-themed mash-up dress. this particular dress became the catalyst for me to step-up-my overall game for my future garments. so many hours go into the construction of my dresses that i admittedly form an affectionate bond with each and every one of them! i now had a finished dress, but one that wasn’t on par with the level of craftmanship to which my brand had evolved. i couldn’t in good conscience sell this frock, yet i couldn't bear to give it to goodwill, either. i most definitely didn’t want it to stay unworn in my studio closet! so i carefully wrote “sample” across the inside dress label and ended up giving it away to a friend that december.
this past week i received the following direct message on instagram, which i have edited for clarity:
“hello there! i recently found your work and i am in total love! i happened to stumble across a sample piece at a local goodwill and love it so so so much!...your frocks are the bees knees!...i was so excited when i found it, i even told the checkout girl that it was the most favorite thing i have bought in a very long time! it is so comfy and makes me feel so delightful! i’m wearing it today...thank you for your beautiful creation! it has brightened my day!”
this dress was indeed that winter-themed sample, whose future i had so agonized over. after my initial shock and surprise at the journey this dress had taken, i quickly realized i was nothing but grateful to my friend, no matter her reasons for parting with it. she unknowingly did for me what i had been incapable of doing myself, which was to move it forward. and now it had found its forever home, where it is loved, worn, valued and obviously, brings my newest "dearie" much joy and happiness!
in the end, that is all i wish for each and every one of my one-of-a-kind, slow-fashioned frocks, whether they are acquired through my website, my little etsy annex, or as with this sample dress, the local goodwill.
a peek of that sample frock as worn by its new caretaker:
from the dearie family to yours, may your thanksgiving holidays be filled with what you value and brings you joy!
until my next missive…