thoughts on projects: my first quilt.

lovelies,

hope you are having a lovely week. i am back from a quick-trip to portland. when i returned, one of the first things on my to-do list was to complete my quilt.

if you've been following my progress, you might remember that i began by cutting 5 by 5 inch squares from various fabrics in my stash, along with a few scraps from dress shirts in our goodwill pile. after that, i carefully arranged all of these squares out onto the floor in a madcap fashion, piecing them together with my Janome sewing machine. after that, i found a queen-sized vintage sheet at goodwill for the backing and bought a queen-sized cotton batting from my fabric store. after laying the whole quilt sandwich (backing, batting, top) out onto the floor in my living room, i hand quilted the whole thing at 5 inch intervals (essentially, there is a stitch in the center of each square. finally, i bound the front to the back using my sewing machine.

with the technical specifics of the project in mind, here are my reflections on the process:

i absolutely adored using fabrics that had been languishing in my stash-- there were a few fabrics that had been sitting there for years! also, i will always hunt through my goodwill piles for interesting looking squares in the future. so fun.

i NEED a rotary cutter. my hand was aching by the end of cutting out all of the squares AND the squares are a bit lacking in the precision department.

Also, i love the look of hand-quilting. i had prepared myself for this project to turn out pretty wonky-looking, but it actually looks good! i cannot wait to make my next one.

xxoo

Project update: my first quilt

Dears, I have been obsessively piecing the top of my first quilt together. I just love it! Here are a few more specifics about the quilt:
I made it from 5 x 5 inch squares (my mama tells me this makes it a charm quilt) of random fabrics from my stash and from a few pieces of old shirts. I did not work from a patter, so I laid the squares out on top of a bedspread I spread out on the floor (much to Brian's chagrin, I must add). In these moments, I feel so fortunate to have a mom who is in the business (she owns a quilting and yarn shop), because I had a lot of questions about piecing. She gave me excellent instructions on seam allowance, structure and the importance of pressing. The first few rows were a bit scary, but then I caught my groove and found I could quilt for hours while watching "My So-Called Life" on Hulu. YES! As you can see, this top is nearly complete. My next step is picking out what materials I will use on the back (I think a vintage sheet) and in the middle (how thick?). You know I'll report back soon.
peace. & LOVE. always.
k

What it is.

Dears, It's Wednesday, and I have process on my mind. Over the past few days, I've had a bit more time to spend in the studio, actually making things. My process has certainly evolved over the last few years: although I may not have studio time every single day, I find that keeping an inspiration journal-- a repository for what's in my mind and what wants to come to life in the studio-- has been of paramount importance to my process. Also, I let myself make a mess, both literally (my husband will attest to this, trust me) and figuratively. I mean that I give myself complete freedom to explore an idea without regard for its value. In fact, a lot of the time, I make things that just lead to different pieces and the original idea gets pasted into my journal or becomes the background for something else. I think this freedom is important. Sometimes, I worry about whether people will think my creations are crazy or horse-s**t or whatever, but most of the time, I just go with it.

If you've been reading for a while (or you know me at all in *real* life), you may know of my deep admiration for David Byrne. He is a true inspiration for living a inspired, awake, and fully participatory life. One of my regular online reads is David Byrne's blog. His entries are thoughtful, thought-provoking, and eloquent.

A weeks ago, he addressed the topic of criticism in a post. I found his thoughts on the topic to be realistic and positive. I found the following lines particularly helpful to my own process: "While taking criticism on board can be constructive, it can also be detrimental to the creative process if it’s considered while that process is still under way. It undermines one’s enthusiasm and will — which is OK, beneficial even, but only after a tour (for example) is over."

{I encourage you to read the whole post right here.}

One thing that worries me about criticism is that so much of it relates to marketability or commercial success... in both directions, and this could have the effect of stifling creativity.

What do you think?

peace. & LOVE.
k