We're so pleased to welcome Storyteller Fanny Storlund to the T+T blog this month. Her thoughtful approach to sewing often includes exquisite details like hand embroidery, richly coloured fabric, and beautiful finishes.
Fanny shares her unique perspective as someone who processes the world through details first, finding peace through the meditative nature of sewing and handwork. Her projects are a beautiful reminder to take time to focus on the details that leave your own unique, creative fingerprints on the things you create. As Fanny says, "that's where the magic happens."
I’ve always been a sensitive person. I’m easily overwhelmed by the world. I often feel like the world is an express train, and I’m hanging onto it by a thread, and the only thing grounding me is using that thread to sew.
Last year, I found out that I am autistic. Suddenly the way I experience the world makes more sense. It’s a strange thing to be 30 years old and learn that I’ve always been autistic, but learning this has freed me. It has allowed me to let go of the pressure a little, to let myself hop off the train and take that thread with me.
One thing I’ve learned about being autistic is that my brain processes things from the bottom up. That means I see details before I see the whole picture. That can be frustrating at times, but I’ve found that it allows me to deep dive into working on details for hours at a time. I’ve always enjoyed that - working with tiny stitches to create a whole. There’s something about it that is so meditative. And I am lost without it.
There are so many different ways to pay attention to details when making something. That’s what I really love about sewing and being detail oriented, because every little choice contributes to the whole finished project. It’s everything from button choices to embellishing embroidery, and from finished edges inside the garment, to the choice of lining fabric, and much, much more.
To me, sewing is similar to piecing together a puzzle, only that you are the one who decides what the final picture will be. And there’s no right or wrong way to do it. You get to choose what that puzzle will end up looking like, and each choice will reflect something about you. How special is that? Whether you sew for yourself or for others, there will always be a piece of you in every finished project, represented by the choices you make.
Don’t overlook the small things. That’s where the magic happens.
