Aside from Kefi and Razzle-Dazzle, most everything else in the studio has been on hold for weeks now.
Essentially I have felt stuck.
Then the quotation above absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Over time I have indeed let myself become attached to specific outcomes, hence the sense of malaise.
So, I'm in the process of considering and re-evaluating where I am now and where I want to go from here.
One fabric pull, for example, has been dismantled and returned to the stash. I love the colors and the fabrics but the piles of pulled yardage have paralyzed me and the idea to remake a quilt I've made before has left me cold.
Luciferous has also been set aside after too many attempts with a variety of different side triangles, none of which lit any fires under me. Someday the project in another form may resurface but definitely not now. I'll have to come up with a different project for the current AHIQ prompt, or not.
I have kept Raconteur.
And I have kept Concatenation for now . . . time will tell if the latest iteration will be interesting enough to move it forward.
There are four or five hospice quilt projects set aside to work on whenever I need sit-and-sew time minus any significantly focused thinking.
And my final Not a Mystery Quilt named Flaneur has also survived, but not as originally planned. Stay tuned for its update on Monday.
* * *
What about you?
Do you prefer to make quilts with a known outcome in mind or would you rather create without knowing exactly how things will turn out?
Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------“No, we don’t need more sleep. It’s our souls that are tired, not our bodies. We need nature. We need magic. We need adventure. We need freedom. We need truth. We need stillness. We don’t need more sleep; we need to wake up and live.”
Brooke Hampton
19 comments:
You know my answer. I don’t know where I’m going and I if it changes in mid stream I’m good with that. I know that isn’t usual.
I never know where I'm going I just enjoy the ride to an unknown destination!
I am the happiest when I have no plan, but just let my rhythm and imagination flow. AND! I have too many projects tugging on me, which impedes that flow of creativity! This makes my soul tired....as in your quote! So I have given away a few projects, delighting their recipients, and me too! Open up that space for joy!
My favorite kind of relaxing and fun sewing is starting with something that appeals to me and letting it go --serendipity reigns here...I almost always deviate from patterns...either cause my skills are wanting or I just don't like how it looks--so a little bit of both?? Maybe?
Glad you got unstuck--I hate that "Stuck" feeling--;000
Hugs, Julierose
Most of the quilt tops I've made have been for QOV, from kits the group makes up. So there's not much planning on those for me.
For the few quilts for myself, I start with a plan and outcome in mind & on paper. But I can't say I've ever really carried them out fully. Reality doesn't match what my mind saw. Or my math was wrong and I run out of a "needed" no longer available fabric and need to substitute. Or as I assemble the blocks, I realize something isn't right.
Then again, I haven't been making quilts that long, so grabbing a bunch of fabric with no plan might still be in my future.
After recently sewing/finishing the Ukraine quilt, a quilt top/backing/binding/label for Quilts Beyond Borders, a Happy New Home wee quilt for a friend, and a birthday quilt for another friend, I'm stuck, too. Love the quote and it really made me stop and think.
It's time to start the Storm at Sea quilt I've wanted to make for two decades. Lord knows I have a whole box of fabrics for it! We live not too far from the Atlantic Ocean and have a lot of salt in our bodies.
Perhaps I should cut/sew borders onto A Quiet Irish Christmas which is a queen size Single Irish Chain.
Yes, I still make mostly traditional quilts but you and Lynne are inspiring me and that's a good thing!
Hugs!
I need plans, but flexibility is key. If I just go willy nilly, I get chaos. If I follow a thread, it goes much better. You are on the path to some new great work.
Thanks for the timely quote. I sometimes forget that I quilt for fun. When everything's decided, it becomes work to me.
Sometimes I start with a plan - but it's usually a sort of ha-ha-yeah-right kind of plan and sometimes it pans out and sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes I end up sprinting off in an entirely unexpected direction. I'm perfectly happy with any of those outcomes.
And sometimes I just see a quilt block I like and make one to see what happens. There's NEVER any telling where that will lead me...
I rarely have a plan and usually just choose fabrics as I go instead of fabric pull ahead of time. For me the visual happenings at the design wall keep me interested in a project.
I've been in a rut for quite some time now. I generally have a plan, not always using a pattern. And I rarely follow a pattern religiously. Right now I have too many UFO's from QAL's and mysteries that I lose interest in. I only seem to finish quilts that have a destination, like my grandson's Minecraft quilt which was finally delivered in June. And, yes, he loved it. My brain is tired and my spirit is low for several different reasons. The heat doesn't help, either (no AC). Thanks for letting me whine. Don't worry, I know it will get better.
Pat
Thank you *so* much for posting. I am totally guilty of being the poster child for this. Not only do I cling to my perceived vision of the outcome, I beat myself up when it's not as perfect as I imagined. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
WOW, that quote makes perfect sense! I am usually working without a pattern, starting with an interesting block and using colors that please me. Often the end result just happens, sometimes with a little 'help'.
Be easy on yourself. Everything will evolve and develop as it should, you already know that; it's all okay.
I tend to just jump right in A. Lot. Of. The. Time! If I start out with a fabric pull, that quickly sorts out my cohesive "planned part". Often though, the direction part evolves!
I am really good at making a PILE of quilt blocks ... often more than needed for the quilt planned and then getting stuck trying to find the best alternate fabric to go with. Knowing that there will be extra blocks I also know that the big quilt will have "children" with what is left. Other quilts that I can share once decisions have been made
Loved reading what you have to say in this post Julie, and the words by Gordon MacKenzie are perfect and thought provoking. I confess I was surprised to read that you had felt stuck - I had never thought of you being in that situation. I think we all probably need to stop and re-evaluate at times and I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome of this from yourself. I have felt unable to move forward for a little while, primarily because I couldn't with first one arm and then the other out of action, however just a fe more days and I'm hoping I shall be back on track, there are many ideas buzzing around in my head - just too many right now so I need to follow your example I think and re-evaluate!!
Congratulations to the projects that made the cut, Julie! Me? As they say, I'm a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll. I have to say that I am currently rolling to the whim of my muse. The best laid plans can, and do, CHANGE!! :o))
Oooh, I so hate to feel stuck. It's a difficult decision to dump fabric stacks back into the stash and let projects go or maybe change things up in a big, bold way because SOMETHING has to be done! I do a mixture of both--thinking I might know the general intended outcome and other times just winging it. I've had positive results with both and I've gotten very, very stuck with both methods as well! For the most part it's the things going on around me that interfere with the creative flow. I definitely get stuck in a rut though and when/if I figure it out, then I know it's time to work with a color palette I won't be comfortable with or maybe start making blocks that I've been eyeballing for months and years. Just something different to mix things up and maybe startle me awake! Best of luck with your new vision!
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