Creative Quilt Play

Flower Child

September moved in almost without incident last week. My work flow has been steady, and I have a routine. I never thought I'd be in favor of life in a pattern, but it feels better than all the craziness we've been through. I had a couple small quilts that were E2E with long stitch outs, and that gave me time to continue my studio revamp. Sorting bins and fabric is therapeutic to some extent, but I came across a jelly roll pack I had bought a year ago. The colors were bright, and I craved a creative fix. 

Three Naked Ladies Blooming Finish

Three Naked Ladies Blooming In the Moonlight Finish

Isn't that a grabby title? I thought so. (wink-wink)

Still dedicated to digging out my languishing UFO/WIP/PUPs, I pulled the Three Naked Ladies Blooming In the Moonlight last week. (This project is 2 1/2 years old.) I'm hoping most of you can't read that. 

Change or Transformation: The Endeavourers

Id. Ego. Super Ego.

This month's challenge prompt for the Endeavourer's art quilt group is 
Change or Transformation. 

How do you interpret change or transformation with cloth and thread? 

Art is meant to appeal to your past experience, emotion, and senses. An art quilt is simply art made with fiber transformed into cloth and thread, and a batting sandwiched between the layers. How does one convey the meaning of something so abstract as change or transformation through fiber?

Roman Stripe Improv Art Quilt Finish

Roman Stripe: Variation I

I laughed a little when I typed the name above. Variation I. I wrote I because there is already a II in the works. I need this kind of work in my life to balance me. It makes me whole. This play on a traditional pattern that I would call an art quilt. Very traditional scraps spun into something that begged for stitching. Stitching that took on a life of its own. My fingers knew. My head did not. 

Ice Dyed Mandala Flowers Quilt

"Divinity"

The first theme presented by The Endeavourers  is Nature. For two long months, I let the word roll around my brain. Such a broad topic needed narrowing, and so I asked the question, "What mental image do I see for the word nature?" Weather? Mountains? Animals? No, when I close my eyes I see flowers both wild, cultivated, and magical. Newly opened, allowing these eyes the first glimpse of  seductive blooms--never ceasing to amaze me with spectacular color and detail beyond the imagination of the greatest artist. And no matter how I pose the question, "Who could dream so vividly?," I am brought back to a divine creator. Therefore, I've titled this piece, "Divinity."

The Endeavourers: Nature: Ice Dyed Mandalas Quilt

"Divinity"

Last year seemed to be too busy to breathe, so I thought carefully this year before I committed my time. One pond I dove in to was joining The Endeavourers. They are a dynamic, adventurous group of quilters willing to take risks exploring their world. Sure, it's with fabric, but still it's a unique opportunity to express our opinion or feeling through fiber. That's typically more than we focus on when piecing a standard quilt. It's a bonus.

27 Quilt Finishes in 2017

Quilting Mandalas: 

New Work from Old

I labored and debated when titling this post. It's packed with so many big ideas while trying to be subtle. Yes, I know 27 finishes is not so subtle. But I'm excited--newly inspired, and self-directed for the New Year. But first, more about last year.

Worthwhile Working Vacation

It's hard to work on vacation, but last weekend I forced myself. It was foggy and cold in Florida even for a northerner, and the wind was fierce. After a chilly swim I stayed in, and worked on Pink Doxies' webpage. 

I pinned to Pinterest. I cleaned up picture files. I added quilt photos to the 2017 Quilts page at the top of this page in the header. And finally I counted the quilt pictures there. Missing one I had not photographed, I had 27 quilt finishes in 2017. There were additional finished wall hangings, completed quilt tops, and several dozen quilts happily laid out for MCC. I longarm quilted for customers and friends. I hand quilted several of my finishes, and have others presently in process. I dyed 25+ yards of fabric, and I had fun with an abundance of creative energy!

Quilt Beginnings, Endings & In Between: Without a List

One Sweet Baby Quilt Ready to Deliver

Week 2 with No List

Welcome back to another weekly narrative of living/working without a list. I've gained unexpected insight while purging the house of too much stuff, and am eager to share it with you. I keep hearing in the comments how many of you are on the same journey, and feel I'm in good company. 

Improv Chinese Coins from Scraps

Pocket Change Improv

This project was born from scraps. The fabric is a combination of Kaffe Fassett, Moda Grunge, and batiks. Check them out as 9 patches in this post for A Lesson In Value & Fabric Choice and a Hop. I had separated the scraps in a box instead of mixing them into my scrap stash, and they were easily turned into this wall hanging based on the Chinese coins pattern.

Tiki Beads Finish

Tiki Beads

This wall hanging laid in a pile with several others for many months. This is typical for me. The main design takes a lot of energy, and then I'm reluctant to put on the last touches. In my opinion, the binding can make or break the whole project. Sure, we can pick something that's just okay--middle-of-the-road choices happen to a lot of quilts, but a good one is harder to pick. Sometimes it is worth the wait. What do you think?

The Positive Aspects of a Slow Design Process

Blocks Are Together

Design Process seems to be my theme this week. I like hearing how other people make design decisions, and it actually helps me to share my process with you. Your feedback is another component to it, and I enjoy listening. The one thing that keeps resonating back and forth is design can't be rushed. I'm glad to know you put things up and take them down, too, waiting for inspiration. 

I think the negative feelings expressed about Works In Progress (WIP's) are far over-rated. I have many, and will bet you do, too! But waiting for an idea to surface is showing patience--not procrastination. It's not rushing forward to get it done just to say you did it.