Who knows why you get into a funk sometimes. In my case, it's nothing specific. In fact, there have been some very good things going on -- the four-year-old turned five yesterday, I got work into two nice juried shows, my sister doesn't have lung cancer but ONLY a fungal infection that may take a year of medication to clear up (funny how context can make bad news into good news!).
After a while you will start having modules of various sizes, which you put up on the design wall. A while later you notice that two of the modules have the same dimension, so you sew them together. A long while later the fabric starts talking to you and saying "I want to be with him" or "I feel too dark; give me some white please."
The glory of this approach is that you don't have to make many decisions. I had a big box of striped fabric all neatly folded and packaged after I finished my Quilt National piece a year ago. I had noticed that there was a lot of red in that box, so I started with a lot of red strips. Then the fabric started wanting to go dark. And I guess I'm getting bored with sewing long strips together, so the modules started to get smaller.
I have no idea what's going to come of this. The funk isn't gone, but it's lurking a lot farther away than it was two weeks ago. And it feels great to be sewing, even if you don't know what you're working on.
I think some of my favorite original pieces have come from playing like this. I need some play time myself. I love what you have going here. I am guessing it will be something fabulous when it decides it is done!
ReplyDeleteIt's the lows that make the highs, too. We should feel ALL of what we're feeling, not cross some things off as avoidable.
ReplyDeleteSorry you are in a funk. The start of winter does that to me. I love the energy you have in your pieces.
ReplyDeleteI'm a cold weather girl -- for me, the cold days are usually a huge thrill! don't know why it's not working this year.
DeleteTook a close look at your "blocks " after reading how narrow your strips are. The way you've oriented the stripes they are reminding me of colorful rag rugs. Interesting effect.
ReplyDeleteI share your passion for the stripes and have been collecting them for awhile. These pieces are very nice. I hope your therapeutic piecing was effective. Funk happens.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should remark on "the funk". I've felt that as well, and today I just sat down and sewed a few strips together. Had to. And cleared my design wall. But that funk is around. I think its the dark, dark, dark.
ReplyDeleteI like to do this too when I'm at a loss as to what to do next or just need a break from a current project.
ReplyDeleteAre you just overlapping the strips with different color threads? or are you actually seaming them, with all the ironing that involves??
ReplyDeleteevery bit of it is PIECED!!!! yes, ironing is a key element of the process.
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