Sunday, February 14, 2016

Selecting Possible Fabrics To Add To A Quilt

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When I am starting a project or adding to an already started project I get out a grouping of fabrics that relate to what I have in mind or what I have started.
quilt with salmon painted start
This is the group I selected to hopefully finish this quilt I showed you recently. I have used some of these fabrics in previous compositions so there may be just a little of some of the fabrics. Being limited this way can be a good thing as it makes me use my critical thinking to solve these opportunities…something some of you might consider problems.
All of the fabrics I chose have either been hand painted or hand dyed by me, Some have layers of pattern, both painted and/or dyed. The group also includes some fabrics I consider failures or ugly fabrics. Almost any fabric is a success as it can be cut up and when seen in a smaller strip or section can be very useful.
As I work on a project like this they no long are all neat and organized like this. You might even call it a “mess”! Having them in this mess style lets me see the possible combinations and when I open a piece of fabric I see things I may not have seen when it was folded neatly.
This is one way I work. I know some of you want the answers before you cut your fabrics. If I knew what it was going to look like before I started to me there would be no reason to make it as it had already been done! I also never worry about wasting a piece of fabric as if it doesn’t work in this composition it might be the perfect piece for the next one.
I hope this will not only give you an insight into how I work, but possibly rethink your ideas on how you work.

1 comment:

Mary Marcotte said...

Your theory makes perfect sense to me. It's pretty much how I work, also. I don't dye or paint fabric--there's just not enough time for sewing now!--but I would totally do that. I say a clean studio is like a clean kitchen, nothing happens in those spaces. I need the freedom to make a mess and clean up after (which I do) when the creativity is not at peak level. When I'm going, my brain is on hyper=drive and I'm afraid to waste the energy or lose the thoughts. So I sew and play and make quick decisions based on instinct and feeling. Then when I calm down, I pick up and find myself, the floor and the worktable. I'm not quite so messy when I cook though. Ha!