Life is a Sample

trying for 'perfect'

I think there are so many 'fairy tales' that use textiles as a metaphor precisely because so much of weaving - the lessons to be learned - are true for creating textiles and life.

So yes, I weave samples.  Lots of them.  I believe in the lessons that can be learned by weaving just to increase my knowledge.  Unfortunately some new weavers just don't seem to understand the necessity.  Many of them just want to make...X...whatever X may be.

But without knowing your materials' potential, how can appropriate choices be made?

I am not the only one who believes in sampling for the sake of learning:

Abby Franquemont - That's just good sense. Sampling is doing all the science and investigation and exploration and whatnot!

The Olds program emphasizes the need to sample by requiring many samples, fully documented.  Weaving the samples and keeping records of what was done allows the new weaver to begin to create their own database of knowledge so that they can begin to adjust density, weave structure, wet finishing, in order to create the cloth they desire, not just whatever happens to occur.

People get all obsessed about making 'perfect' when what they need to do - imho - is to make good.  Concentrate on learning from what happens when x, y and z are put together.  Then change one of the parameters to get better.  

Lately there have been a lot of posts on social media about making things.  It has been shown over and over again that making many things leads to better results.  As one meme put it - make stuff.  It might be bad, but as you make more stuff, it will get better.

And that pretty much sums up life for me.  I do stuff.  I make mistakes.  Hopefully I learn from them and do better.  

It's all about 'sampling'.  It's all about learning.  It's all about getting better.  If I manage 'perfect' once in a while, that's great.  But it's only a goal I work towards.  I don't beat myself up when I don't manage 'perfect'.  I will just keep trying to make it good.