Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
Some time ago, I posted a photo of the letters Lil Sissy bought for me. I have been feeling bad that I hadn’t put them up on the wall, so I finally did it. The Young Man came upstairs and helped me and now they are up and inspiring me. Lil Sissy thinks the C is too small, so I am expecting a new ‘C’ sometime. I’d love to get similar letters and spell out other words all around the wall, but one thing at a time. I think that these letters stand out much more than the temporary paper letters.
You might have noticed that I am changing settings to disallow comments on some posts, but mostly pages. Sorry about that, but some of my tutorial pages are getting hammered with spam. You can always comment in other ways (see below), if you have questions and I will be sure to answer.
Quilt World News
Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine is coming out with an Internet TV show. They finally sent me a promised issue after they cancelled Quilter’s Home and the notice was in that issue.
The headline of this article grabbed me. Women are Fabric, Quilts Reflect their Strength. There is a lot in those few words. I think of the current firestorm surrounding THAT talk show host (whose name shall not appear in this blog; please do not write it in a comment. I will edit your comment!). I think about whether we are strong and what that strength means. I think about how we hold our communities together. I think about what we could do if we banded together. What comes to mind for you? BTW, the article talks about an exhibit at the United Nations. “The exhibition, which will be on display from 5 March through 30 April, is presented by UNFPA, the UN agency that delivers a world in which every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. The Fund is on the ground improving lives in more than 140 countries.”
And from the Knitting Department: Did you see the Yarnbomber’s London 2012 Olympic installation on a Saltburn-by-the-Sea pier overnight. Apparently, nobody knows who did it, but it is pleasing the locals. There are gymnasts, rowers, synchronized swimmers (my fave!), weight-lifters, skiers, and many more. The detail is amazing!
WOW!
Check out these patchwork couches and chairs! Quite Bright. I like the shape of the couches.
Resources
Quilting Arts (Quilting Daily) has some free eBooks on quilting including something on Jelly Rolls. I haven’t checked them out, but will consider doing a review. What the heck? They are free.
In two days, Fran Gonzalez will start teaching an EQ7 class. The first of Fran Gonzalez’ wonderful online EQ7 classes, EQ7 Sampler, starts on March 23. Fran guides you beginners as you explore the libraries, draw and color blocks, and design quilts. This 4-lesson class is the first class in Fran’s 4-class series, and the pre-req for taking the more advanced classes. Sign up now.
Other Artists
Friend Julie of High Fiber Content fame has her quilt, The Word for the World is Water, on display at the Atkinson Public Library and in a news article. Her name is even mentioned! That means she is now searchable on databases to which I subscribe at work!
Julie also posted some great photos of the Purple Journal. The photos are so clear!
Patsy Thompson has had some quilts, parts of quilts, her sewing machine and other quilt and teaching related items stolen from her car in Corbin, Kentucky. Sigh. Really? She writes about it on her blog. Other artists such as Bonnie K. Hunter are helping to let people know. Spread the word and look for the quilts.
I really like what Danny Gregory says about his own work in this essay on the Altered Page blog. he writes, partially:
“My art is an opportunity to reflect on the everyday, from the clutter on my desk to my neighbor’s fruit stand, from what I ate for lunch to my unfolded laundry. In recording and meditating on it, I find beauty and significance in the things I do.”
The everyday is what we do. Every day we walk to work, get a coffee, drive children to school, fold laundry, take dogs for walks, cook. I think I need to notice the beauty in the every day things. I need to find their value, create joy in doing those things and use them in my creativity. What do you think?
Find out about Mark Lipinski’s fetish with Pink in the interview with him over at Bumble Beans Inc..
Commitment to Creativity
I am constantly haranguing you to do the creative prompt. People like QuiltRat and SherriD and XXX create responses. I do responses, but have become inconsistent lately. Reading Danny Gregory’s blog, I found this great quote:
“First of all, he insists that they consistently make pages: they work on them at home and in school and their grades are based on their consistent commitment not on any evaluation of the work itself. Nonetheless, the quality was really high and it was clear that they had spent a lot of time and thought day after day.” (Quotes and highlights are mine)
I need to be consistently committed to my sketchbook and drawings. I wonder, though, how that fits in with my quiltmaking. I normally don’t sew during the week. With work and everything it would just be too hard, but lately I have been snatching every second I can to sew. I am consistently committed to my quilts, but do I have the time to expand that commitment to drawing as well? I wish I had a teacher like the one described. I think I would be in a different place right now. There is a list of resources at the end of the post.
You can email me at jlapac[at]gmail[dot]com, but please continue to place relevant comments on the related post. It helps to keep me organized! Thanks.