When I made my first quilt six years ago, I had no idea of how the idea of quilting would take ahold of me. The person who helped me make this quilt (it was a gift for my daughter) moved quickly, and gave me only as much information as I needed in order to complete the quilt I was making, as my focus was only on the end product. Little did I know, the "bug" would hit me, and quilting would become a lifelong journey.
While making my next few quilts, I approached the process in a hurried manner - ironing, cutting and piecing were merely a means to an end - I wanted the finished product!! Over time, though, my skills have grown, as has my appreciation for this fine art. I can now happily say that I am enjoying the process like never before; in fact, I now find the ironing, cutting, and piecing to be very meditative, and I immerse myself in this meditation fully.
During the day, I run a small business that I own (a massage therapy clinic, with 3 therapists); I also make time to be a mom to a busy 10 (nearly 11) year old, and spend time with the other person in my life who is so dear to me, my boyfriend. After this day is done, and when I have a bit of space in between all these things that I also enjoy, I spend time making art. This full life is the reason that I have so many ideas in my head, and multiple projects on the go.
Today, I finished cutting my pieces for the Stash Box Quilt that I am making. I started pinning squares that will be chain pieced as well, and so far what I have done looks like this:
I have a total of 156 small pieces to pin and stitch before I can start piecing my larger blocks - I've made a commitment to be in no hurry to finish this quilt, but to enjoy the process fully. In the meantime, I am still working on more prayer flags for the prayer flag project , as well as sketching for the sketchbook challenge . After all, there is still a part of me that likes to see completed projects in a shorter time frame. Here is a sketch that I completed last week:
This is a simple doodle, in the spirit of the theme for January; it is also a way for me to become more comfortable with sketching and paints. I bought my first set of tube watercolour paints this past week, and used them to create washes of colour for my doodle; I like the way tube watercolours work, since I can control the saturation just like I can when working with fabric paints. My current prayer flag is still in its infancy, not ready to be unveiled just yet.
I hope that each of you is finding a way to enjoy this new year, and to enjoy whatever process is involved in making your art. I love seeing what other artists are doing, and I so enjoy hearing about their process. I would especially love to know what part of the process you enjoy most in your art - in the meantime, happy creating!!
While making my next few quilts, I approached the process in a hurried manner - ironing, cutting and piecing were merely a means to an end - I wanted the finished product!! Over time, though, my skills have grown, as has my appreciation for this fine art. I can now happily say that I am enjoying the process like never before; in fact, I now find the ironing, cutting, and piecing to be very meditative, and I immerse myself in this meditation fully.
During the day, I run a small business that I own (a massage therapy clinic, with 3 therapists); I also make time to be a mom to a busy 10 (nearly 11) year old, and spend time with the other person in my life who is so dear to me, my boyfriend. After this day is done, and when I have a bit of space in between all these things that I also enjoy, I spend time making art. This full life is the reason that I have so many ideas in my head, and multiple projects on the go.
Today, I finished cutting my pieces for the Stash Box Quilt that I am making. I started pinning squares that will be chain pieced as well, and so far what I have done looks like this:
I have a total of 156 small pieces to pin and stitch before I can start piecing my larger blocks - I've made a commitment to be in no hurry to finish this quilt, but to enjoy the process fully. In the meantime, I am still working on more prayer flags for the prayer flag project , as well as sketching for the sketchbook challenge . After all, there is still a part of me that likes to see completed projects in a shorter time frame. Here is a sketch that I completed last week:
This is a simple doodle, in the spirit of the theme for January; it is also a way for me to become more comfortable with sketching and paints. I bought my first set of tube watercolour paints this past week, and used them to create washes of colour for my doodle; I like the way tube watercolours work, since I can control the saturation just like I can when working with fabric paints. My current prayer flag is still in its infancy, not ready to be unveiled just yet.
I hope that each of you is finding a way to enjoy this new year, and to enjoy whatever process is involved in making your art. I love seeing what other artists are doing, and I so enjoy hearing about their process. I would especially love to know what part of the process you enjoy most in your art - in the meantime, happy creating!!
No comments:
Post a Comment