Block-a-Long #50: Large Table Squares

Large Table Squares #50
Large Table Squares #50

This block is related to two different previous blocks, #28 and #49.

Directions to this Large Table Squares #50 Directions.

If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.

Donation Blocks Again

I made a few more donation blocks in between another project I am working on. I know I said this, but I enjoy making these blocks so much. I have only two more blue blocks to make until I have enough blocks to make a large enough Donation quilt.

Florets

Florets - March 2012
Florets - March 2012

Yes, I am working on the Flowering Snowball. It is a hand project (as I designed it to be) and I work on it when I watch TV.

I did a lot of cutting a few weeks ago, as I mentioned and the result is that I am putting segments together until there are none left and then putting other segments together until I can start sewing blocks together. At the moment I am working on sewing a foreground piece (the printed, colored fabric), which has been joined with a black on white piece to a different foreground piece that has been attached to a  small black square.

So far, I have done three. When I looked at them the word ‘florets’ came to mind. Yes, like broccoli, but not broccoli. Nicer than broccoli-not that there is any thing wrong with broccoli, but fabric is much better. So I am calling these joined segments florets.

One of the things about this method is that I put all the squares together at once. I sew the same segments to each other until all of the blocks are done and then I move to the next segment. When I start finishing the blocks, they will be done quickly.

Creative Prompt #150: Quatrefoil

Definition: The word quatrefoil etymologically means “four leaves”, and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts. In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets (such as a four-leaf clover). It is sometimes shown “slipped”, i.e. with an attached stalk. However, it is not defined as a flower, but called a “foil”. In the U.S. Marine Corps, quatrefoil refers to a four-pointed decoration on the top of a warrant or commissioned Marine officer’s dress and service caps (see peaked caps, also known in the Marines as “barracks covers”). According to tradition, the design was first used with Marine officers on sailing ships so that Marine sharpshooters in the rigging did not shoot their own officers on the deck during close-quarters gun battles (as when crews of opposing ships attempted to board each other’s ship).

Quatrefoil Library in the Twin Cities

window

Phi Mu’s symbol is their sacred four-point quatrefoil. It is a unique shape and can be traced back to early European design. Phi Mus love to spot the popular shape in everyday use. Many wonder what the quatrefoil’s importance is to the fraternity but only a Phi Mu sister will know.

The quatrefoil is an ancient symbol of good luck, a Celtic symbol representing “the wheel of being,”

Please post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.

Swoon #3

Swoon block #3
Swoon block #3

As I mentioned in my previous post on Swoon block, I am trying different ways of making these blocks. For this block, Swoon #3, I tried to make the yellow pieces one piece of fabric rather than cutting them into squares and half square triangles. I want to preserve the print as much as possible and not have those sections look choppy. I thought segments of the first Swoon block looked choppy.

I am very pleased with how this block turned out. The road was rocky, however, and I fiddled with it a lot. This block was on my design wall for a long time before I actually sewed it together.

First, I made the HSTs on the very outside of the block (pink dot and background) using my Triangle Technique.

Next, I cut 4.5″ squares for all the yellow pieces in the block (8 total).

Third, I cut 2.5″ squares out of the background fabric and the pink dot fabric. I sewed them on to the yellow, larger squares by drawing a line diagonally across the center of the smaller squares and sewing on that line. The goal was to fold the square back into a triangle.

Sewing the corners
Sewing the corners

After sewing the first one, I realized that sewing on the line was not the way to go. Folding back the square into a triangle did not cover the yellow 4.5″ square. I tried lining up the line on the small square with the inside edge of my 1/4″ foot, then I sewed just inside the line. That was just enough to make this technique work for me. I have tried to illustrate this part of the post with the photo of the piece (left) in the machine. Can you see how the foot is lined up with that drawn line?

There is a failure part of this blog post as well. In order to make sure the blocks would be large enough to cover the corners of the larger square, I cut the smaller (corner) squares larger than 2.5″ the first time around. I found, when I sewed them on that the idea was good, but didn’t work. The reason it didn’t work was because the squares were simply too big and went below the place they should have been. This meant that the quarter inch seam allowance was too large to produce good matching seams.

Once I had the correct size of squares down (thanks, TFQ!) and realized I needed to sew just inside the seam, the block flew together as much as an approximately 63 piece block can.

I am pleased with the look.

_____________________

First two Swoon blocks link

Design Series: Rhythm

For the audio portion, check out Sandy’s page or iTunes

Rhythm is a Principle of Design

Rhythm is a design principle based on repetition (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 100)

Definitions:

  1. “Intervals at which related element occur throughout a piece of art” (Liz Berg handout entitled Principles of Design from “Design the Abstract Quilt” class)
  2. Visual rhythm is created when elements repeat in a sequence in a design. The repeated elements are often shape or color motifs…rather than simply repeating the elements to create a pattern. They act as a series of beats that ‘speak’ to one another.” (Aimone, Design! A lively guide to design basics for artists & craftspeople, pg. 112-113)
  3. “..rhythm involves a clear repetition of elements that are the same or only slightly modified.”  (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 100)
    • Vertical slats on the back of a chair

 

  1. Rhythm is “the repetition of a regular pattern, or a harmonious sequence or correlation of colors or elements.” (Art+Quilt by Lyric Kinard, pg. 80)
  2. “Visual rhythm involves the movement of our eye from one element to the next in a regular pattern.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
  3. “In visual art, refers to the movement of the viewer’s eye across recurrent motifs.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg. 155)

“…repetition of an element creates visual rhythm.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15)

The following relate back to unity, so be sure to review those notes and the podcast before you move to Rhythm

Types of Rhythm

Alternating Rhythm (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg. 16)

  • “…the variation of a repeated pattern between two or more elements.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
    • Example: the pattern of night and day (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
    • Example: “…a chorus repeated between different verses of a song.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
  • “…uses patterns that move back and forth.”  (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg. 16)
    • Light and dark
    • thick and thin
    • hot and cold
    • tall and short
  • “A familiar example of this idea can be seen in a building with columns, such as a Greek Temple. The repeating pattern of light columns against darker negative spaces is clearly an alternating rhythm.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 104)

Progressive Rhythm (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.16)

  • “…uses the repetition of an element to deliberately move the viewer’s eye in a specific direction. It is a pattern in which the viewer can see a sequence that is predictable. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg. 16)
  • “In visual art, a progressive rhythm might consist of any repeated element growing or shrinking in size, shape, or number.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
    • Example: “The expanding rays of a Mariner’s compass block as it reaches outward.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
  • “A progressive rhythm is often found in nature when the size or shape of something gradually increases or descreases.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
    • concentric layers of tree rings (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
    • a musical theme that “grows in complexity, volume, and instrumentation with repetition.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
    • “gradually diminishing pattern of ocean waves as your eye moves toward the horizon” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
  • Commonplace in nature, but not always readily apparent (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 107)
    • Cut in half, the inside of an artichoke shows a growth pattern. (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 107)
    • chambered nautilus cut in cross section. (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 107)

Staccato Rhythm

  • “abrupt changes with dynamic contrast. The reccurrence of these dark squares establishes a visual rhythm. The irregular spacing of the small squares causes the pattern (and rhythm) to be lively rather than monotonous.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 100)
    • Piet Mondrian painting called Broadway Boogie-Woogie  expresses the “on/off patterns of Broadway’s neon landscape but also the rhythmic sounds of 1940s instrumental blues music.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 102)
  • Staccato rhythm can, sometimes, be exciting if unsettling. (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 100)

Static Rhythm

  • “…has no variety and can be monotonous if carried throughout a composition… If there is no variety in the fabrics chosen, the quilt will have static rhythm, …no movement.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg. 15)
  • “Static rhythm is only apparent; for in every seeming case, the rhythm really pervades the succession of acts of attention to the elements rather than the elements themselves; a colonnade, for example, is rhythmical only when the attention moves from one column to another.” (http://www.authorama.com/principles-of-aesthetics-6.html) – I think this is why we like those red and white Sawtooth Star quilts.

Syncopated Rhythm

  • “…gives surprising emphasis to a beat that is normally weak and adds unexpected interest.” (Art+Quilt, pg. 80)
  • “A syncopation or syncopated rhythm is any rhythm that puts an emphasis on a beat, or a subdivision of a beat, that is not usually emphasized…Syncopation is one way to liven things up. The music can suddenly emphasize the weaker beats of the measure, or it can even emphasize notes that are not on the beat at all.” (Connexions http://cnx.org/content/m11644/latest/)

Visual Rhythm

  • “Repetition is another way to create unity in a quilt design. The repetition of an element in a composition can tie the whole together, creating a relationship among the elements.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15)
    • “…repetition of an element creates visual rhythm.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15) Static rhythm, alternating rhythm and progressive rhythm have an effect on unity through repetition.
  • “Visual rhythm can be smooth and even, or it can be abrupt and uneven, depending on the goal the quilt designer wants to achieve.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg. 16)

 Examples of Rhythm

  • heartbeat – “repeats in a regular, orderly manner and establishes a rhythm that underlies your very existence” (Aimone, Design! A lively guide to design basics for artists & craftspeople, pg.112)
  • “breathing consists of a regular sequence of inhaling and exhaling” (Aimone, Design! A lively guide to design basics for artists & craftspeople, pg.112)
  • “When you walk, you establish parallel rhythms with the two sides of your body.” (Aimone, Design! A lively guide to design basics for artists & craftspeople, pg.112)

 Notes:

  • “Careful placement of accents pulls the viewer’s eye across the picture. The eye travels quickly when elements are closely spaced, more slowly across wider intervals. Use accents to control the rhythm and keep the viewer’s eye moving within the picture.” (Liz Berg handout entitled Principles of Design from “Design the Abstract Quilt” class). This is one area where a border is useful. Instead of just slapping on a border (and you all know by now that this is one of my biggest pet peeves), look at whether your design is falling off the quilt and needs to be contained or whether you need to continue the design into the border to finish it.
  • “…rhythm relies on repetition. Repeating design elements over and over again will create a sense of rhythm with the design field.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color & Design, pg. 127)
  • “Rhythm helps to entice the viewer to stay longer and can make an artwork easier to live with.  (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color & Design, pg. 127)
  • “..if the rhythm of a work becomes too static or monotonous then the work becomes easy to ignore.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color & Design, pg. 127)
  • Visual rhythm is closely connected to rhythms in music and the rhythms of art pieces are sometimes inspired by music. (Pentak & Lauer, pg. 108)

Rhythm Resources:

  • A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color & Design book* by Heather Thomas
  • Art+Quilt* by Lyric Kinard
  • Design! A lively guide to design basics for artists & craftspeople by Steven Aimone book*
  • International School | Breda Principles of Design page
  • Liz Berg handout entitled Principles of Design from “Design the Abstract Quilt” class
  • Rhythm – Basic Principles of Design post/article
  • The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d book*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

FOTY 2012: Back in the Saddle

Fabric of the Year Squares (March)
Fabric of the Year Squares (March)

I haven’t done anything with Fabric of the Year 2012 yet. I decided that I would go even more simple than last year, but would keep one of the elements of FOTY 2011. I decided that I would go with squares and rectangles. I will cut squares out of fabrics I have used this year (but not bought) and rectangles out of the new fabrics.

A lot of the fabrics in the photo are from the Flowering Snowballs foreground. I only used one piece from each of the fabrics in the Flowering Snowball blocks, but I figured it still counted. They are all great fabrics, aren’t they?

FOTY 2012 Squares - March
FOTY 2012 Squares - March

I really like the scrappy look, but think it will be even better when I start arranging the fabrics at the retreat in 2013. Seems like a long way off, but here it is already March, so I know it will be here sooner than I think.

From my brief comment, you might have inferred that I am also working on the Flowering Snowball. I am. More on that later.

Book Review: Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue: 25 Jewelry Designs from a Master ArtistJapanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue: 25 Jewelry Designs from a Master Artist by Sonoko Nozue

Before this book is even opened, there is an air of exotica – a demure look by a young Asian woman shot in black & white. She definitely has a secret and as one delves into the book the reader finds that the secret is feminine, delicate, refined, exotic and wearable pieces.

The introduction, by Nathalie Mornu, gives background on the author, Sonoko Nozue including her inspirations, enticing personality traits, teaching projects and some biographical details. The information makes me, not much of a beader, want to meet the Ms. Nozue.

The basics section is a bit daunting at first glance. The necklaces and bracelets are intricate. Those photos are deceiving and should not scare entice the reader, though, because different types of beads, needles and thread are covered right away in the beginning of the basics section. I always enjoy reading the definitions of the beads. For example, “Matsuno beads are glass beads produced exclusively by the Matsuno Company, which was established in 1935. They can sometimes be difficult to find in Japan. Outside of Japan, they’re sold under the brand name MGB. Matsuno beads have thick walls and small holes. (pg.12)” You might be thinking “BFD!”, but I think it is interesting to know that this company has been in existence since before World War II as well as what I need to look for if I want to find these beads in the US. There is a also a chart of symbols; the same idea as knitting charts. The basics section continues with a section on techniques, illustrated by a small bag project with an inset cameo. The basics section wraps up with several pages of stitches.

Chapters on projects start immediately after the basics section. The projects are well illustrated and have beautiful photographs of models wearing the jewelry. My favorite projects are Cheerful Midafternoon (pg.22), a necklace that looks like one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Dripping the Moon (pg.30), a pendant that resembles a small purse (mentioned above). Projects also have variations. Crystal Rose, a large and elegant necklace (pg.102) suggests mounting the pendant on a hair comb instead of hanging it from a rope (‘chain’).

There are so many illustrations that make up the directions in this book that quiltmakers can get inspired for machine quilting and embellishing from looking at the photos alone.

The book has a gallery in the back and an index, two of my favorites. This book is pure and simple eye candy. Take a look.

View all my reviews

Block-a-Long #49: Table Squares

Table Squares #49
Table Squares #49

This block is related to #28. I am still intrigued by series of squares.

This block could be made with a group of scrappy squares, monochromatic squares or two different fabrics, like I have done in the example.

Directions for Table Squares #49.

If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.

Donation Blocks

Donation Blocks (March)
Donation Blocks (March)

This has been a great couple of months for donation blocks. I made a few more the past few days in between sewing for the Renewed Jelly Roll Race. I am unreasonably pleased with these blocks. I find them so fun to make. I am not sure why. The only thing I can think of is that there is an opportunity to play with a bit of color.

Tother thing is that they go together so quickly using Bonnie K. Hunter‘s Leaders and Enders method. My only stumbling block right at the moment is I am out of the kits the Charity Coordinators made, so I am cutting my own patches from scraps and I seem to be constantly short of the right color or background. I used some various black on white prints for the blue block above and hope that will be ok and not ruin the look the Charity Coordinators are going for. I am about to get out my Accuquilt Go! 2.5″ square die and cut a bunch of backgrounds for future use.

Brown Donation block
Brown Donation block

This block has a weird background, because I took the photo on my bathroom rug. As hideous as the carpet is in my workroom, it does make a fairly inoffensive background for my photos. We had a fairly dramatic shower of sparks which heralded the demise of the overhead light in my workroom. I have some task lighting, but the floor was just too dark for photos. The bathroom floor is small black and white tile, which, I thought, would have been too busy.

Yes, it is a brown block. The boys need quilts, too, and brown works for them. Green and blue, too, I imagine. This fabric is from the scraps of the back of FOTY 2011. I tried to get some of the words for these squares, because I like words on quilts. Letters (as in the snailmail kind) are even better.

Green donation block
Green donation block

These greens are, mostly, more boyish also, if boys can be pigeon-holed into liking certain colors.The Young Man adores red, not the greyed or browned down reds, but scarlet-type reds.

The blue blocks are definitely the ones I will make the most of, but it is nice to make some other blocks in different colors as well.

The one yellow-green (with the x-es) looks quite out of place in this block. I am glad there is another slightly yellow-green square in it (upper left hand corner) so that it is looks a bit like it goes. I am not ripping it out.

Another blue donation block
Another blue donation block

You will see some of the same fabrics in this second blue block as you saw int he first one. I hope that the Charity Coordinators will receive enough blue blocks with different fabrics to mix my blocks into different quilts.

I did fussy cut a bit on this one, in order to get that cherry and whipped cream into the patch rather than in the seam allowance. I thought it would be fun.

I have a small stack of squares waiting to be sorted into color groups. I try not to duplicate a fabric in the same block unless all or most of the fabrics are the same. I also have lots of scraps to be cut. I am trying to decide if I should cut larger scraps into 2.5″ squares so I have more patches to use or if I should continue to cut one or two squares out of scraps and leave the rest of the scrap for another project?

Second green donation block
Second green donation block

I had an incorrectly cut hexagon from the Flower Sugar Hexagon quilt, so I measured and found it would yield one 2.5″ patch. I needed a green patch, so I cut it. Nice to have fabrics from a variety of projects show up in these blocks.

I think I have made 11 donation blocks so far in the past two months. I have one more close to being finished and I have at least another week before the meeting. I think that could be a whole quilt. If I had a wish, it would be that people did not need to be comforted by the quilts I am helping to make.

Book Review: Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects

Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects: Designs from Stringing to BeadweavingDiane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects: Designs from Stringing to Beadweaving by Diane Fitzgerald

As the title says, this book is all about the projects. After a brief introduction by Diane Fitzgerald and a multi-page foreword (AKA lovefest) by Jean Campbell describing Ms. Fitzgerald’s career and many talents, the book starts right in on the projects. There is no ‘Basics’ section, but tips and techniques are woven throughout the book.

This book has a whopping 24 projects. At an MSRP of $27.95, that is about $1.04 per pattern. If you want to try a lot of different techniques, this is a good book to buy.

Throughout the book, the author shows very clearly how to put the beads together into the larger units needed to make the project. In looking at these images, I am sure a clever quiltmaker could apply beads to a quilt project in the same manner and achieve a great, if flatter look. The book is also good for the quiltmaker who wants to know more about beads. This book has wonderful pictures of different beads used.

I was hard pressed to pick a favorite project as I started to look through them. Many of the projects are necklaces in styles that I don’t wear. I liked the Midnight Snowflakes (pg.75) necklace, but it wasn’t a favorite. I also liked the Lacy Bracelet (pg.71). I was also quite partial to the May Basket project (pg.65), but can’t imagine wearing one as a broach or as a pendant. I did like their look and imagined having a “Spring Tree” (as opposed to a Christmas Tree) covered with these baskets. I was getting discouraged, but the end of the book (pg.100) shows the Braided Garland Necklace. Though it is a little bit large, I love the spring feeling of it.

Each project has a page with a variation so the reader can see what the project looks like in slightly different colors or using different beads.

The end of the book has a gallery of projects, presumably by Ms. Fitzgerald. I really like the Tulip Necklace Pouch (pg.125). It reminds me of the beaded bag Hermione uses in the Deathly Hallows.

Enjoy this inspirational book and thanks to Lark Books for sending it to me.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Metal Clay Fusion

Metal Clay Fusion: Diverse Clays, Detailed Techniques, Artful ProjectsMetal Clay Fusion: Diverse Clays, Detailed Techniques, Artful Projects by Gordon K. Uyehara

One of the first things I thought of when I saw this book was that the cover piece looked like some prehistoric animal, but not in a bad way. The shape looks very organic in a prehistoric sense. That was the beginning of realizing that the author, Gordon K. Uyehara uses many, many shapes and designs from nature, or which were informed by nature, in his work. This gives the hard edge of metal smoothness and positivity.

The things I like about this book are:

  • lots and lots of excellent, detailed photos
  • index
  • attention to the details of the works.

I also like these words from the author, which can be found in the introduction, “The near obsessive compulsion to create with silver clay in the face of a dwindling savings account and the feeling of spending way too many hours on something that might just lead to nothing go beyond logic.” I think we have all felt that way about some creative endeavor.

As with many of the Lark Craft books, this one is full of information about metal clays. It goes into detail about the properties of different types (bronze vs. copper, for example) and how to use them. This book also has tips inset on the pages. The detail photos show how to achieve the minute design details shown on some of the finished pieces. Included are sections called, for example, “Paintbrush Skills” and “Carving,” which help the reader with those details.

I liked the few pages on Design (pg.49-50). I don’t think anyone can get enough design training and hearing it from different voices is valuable.

This technique requires firing, so there are many pages included that discuss firing – temperatures, what to do when combining the metal with other materials. The books includes a section called “What happens during firing” and also a section on Mental Theatrics. We all go through some kind of drama when preparing to do something major to a piece. This section talks about ideas. I don’t see this type of writing in many books, so I was glad it was included and hope Lark makes it a regular feature of their quilt books as well.

The photos are predominantly of Mr. Uyehara’s work, but there are also pieces from other artists. Barbara Becker Simon’s Jester Jar is one of my favorites. It combines glass and metal. I also like the Bubbles Belt Buckle by Liz Hall (pg.38).

The projects are interesting. They range from earrings, bangles and beads to Hashi Oki (chopstick rests), condiment spoons and hairpins. I was very glad to see some new and different projects in this book.

As I have mentioned numerous time, I do not make jewelry, so this book will be donated to the Library, but, if nothing else, this books is a wealth of inspiration in shape, detail and design. There are plenty of curves to offset the hard edge of the metal. Spirals, ovals and circles permeate Uyehara’s work. There is a lot of eye candy in this book and would be an excellent book for inspiration, even if you are not a jewelry maker.

View all my reviews

Creative Prompt #149: Parallelogram

Definition: In Euclidean geometry, a parallelogram is a convex quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. The opposite or facing sides of a parallelogram are of equal length and the opposite angles of a parallelogram are of equal measure. The congruence of opposite sides and opposite angles is a direct consequence of the Euclidean Parallel Postulate and neither condition can be proven without appealing to the Euclidean Parallel Postulate or one of its equivalent formulations. The three-dimensional counterpart of a parallelogram is a parallelepiped.

The etymology (in Greek ????????-????????, a shape “of parallel lines”) reflects the definition.

rectangle

a shape

theorems for a parallelogram

not a triangle

a method of vector resolution

Parallelogram Lifts

area of a parallellogram

Android app

square

 

Please post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.

Why Quilt?

The question I constantly ask myself is: why do I make quilts?

Why?

I think about the time I spend, the other chores I ignore, the money I spend, the way I arrange trips so I can stop at a quilt shop or sew with a friend.

This is frequently some kind of existential crisis that I just try and live through so I can come out on the other side still sewing. The answer I often give myself is that I am compelled to do it. I am compelled to cut up these large pieces of cloth into small pieces and sew them back together again into large pieces

I often think that if I don’t engage in this seemingly pointless exercise, something really terrible will happen.

I thought about this a lot when I went to the EBHQ show. I walked around and looked at the quilts and wondered why I was at a quilt show. I enjoy quilts, but why was I there? I was looking at a multitude of quilts, but I had seen multitudes of quilts before. I have hundreds of paper photos of quilts and, what seems like, gazillions of digital files of quilts. If you have been a reader of this blog for very long, you have see some of them.

Why was front and center in my mind at the show.

Then I read a recent blog post by Danny Gregory about Senioritis. Answers come from the strangest places.

His son has been accepted at college, but it is only March, so he still has to sit in a classroom and make some effort at doing homework and keeping his grades up. Senioritis. I was glad I read this essay, because one part of one line really hit home:

“…it is expanding your awareness of the world around you…”

Now I know: expanding my horizons. Thanks, Danny.

 

Sketching #146

CPP Response #146: Broke
CPP Response #146: Broke

I am really trying to get back on track with this project.I responded to the two most recent ones the other day while waiting at the doctor’s office for the Young Man. I could have put in more detail, but he came out and I decided that I wasn’t creating masterpieces. Done is better than perfect.

This was a nice exercise on trying to figure out how to make a window look broken. I am not sure I achieved it, but I think I made a good effort.

Did you respond to this prompt? Please post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.