Thursday, October 2, 2014

Thursday's Plan & Daydream


This is Away for a few days. 

We walked to the beach this morning, and it 
was nearly empty at 8 a.m. 



The bananas are growing in the yard.


The ixoras are bright with blooms.


I stashed my quilt blocks in my carry-on, shh.., and have been looking over them. What to do?

It's the perfect time to think about what I've been doing with the improv quilt, Daydream. I've been putting together random blocks these past few days without knowing exactly where things were going. It was all very creative, but I noticed that it felt a little disjunct as I would finish a new block, and put it up with the rest. Did it work with the others? Was this method working? It lead me to a big question:


Does a creative process need strict limitations to work?

As a homeschool mom trying to teach kids writing, I would chant, "Narrow your topic". You can't write about all trees. Deciduous or evergreen? Standard or dwarf? Etc., etc. Is it the same with a composition made from fabric? I started this project by just limiting my color choices, but as I progressed, that wasn't enough. I knew I wanted to have different sizes of finished blocks so that was a variable. Today I'm thinking about what I should do to further limit my wild ideas so the blocks will work together, and not become a complete abstract jumble. Some questions worth pondering:

  • Who am I thinking of as I make this quilt? 
  • Does this quilt need an actual theme? 
  • Can I have wonky blocks with precision cut blocks?
  • Do I need some kind of unifying background or sashing?
  • What kind of layout works best with this free-form design style?
I'll be thinking about these questions, and leave you with 3 new blocks. Below is a scrappy mix made into a 12.5" square, and then cut and repieced.


A square on it's end on the right top, and a happy pinwheel on the bottom, both smaller.


And this was Monday's block with the alpaca.


I've checked on the Doxie girls at home, and they're all doing well. Time for a ride.

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