Building Scrap Quilter Muscle

This topic is not for everyone, but the fact is, scrap quilting requires fabric. Lots of it! And the more variety the better. If you're not in a stash accumulative mood or think the rest of us who hoard are greedy fabric pigs, that's okay. We'll catch up another day. I want to address an alternative method of building up our precious stash. I call this method 'Building Scrap Quilter Muscle' because it's really the most random bits and pieces of fabric that turn out the very best quilts.

The original rejected fabrics

The key to this method of fabric collecting is to get the word out. Plain and simple. Let your friends and family know that hello! You love fabric and will willingly take on their rejects. This is not for the faint of heart because sometimes what you end up with is appallingly ugly and only suitable for the dumpster. That's the gamble. {And the fun!} Gotta gird up your loins and dive in, because sometimes you can end up with absolute gems. Seriously folks, the best fabric is not always the brand new stuff sitting in the stores!

Doesn't look promising....

The best way to start is just to dump all the fabric out--onto the table, floor or couch, it doesn't matter. Just get it all out of the bag or box it came in. Then start making stacks. Go through the fabric quickly and make snap decisions--it's not rocket science. One pile for fabric you want to keep, another for maybe's and then the last pile for trash. Yep, there is almost always fabric that can only be classified as garbage. Don't even hesitate about dumping it!

The keepers

Remember, fabric you want to keep doesn't have to give you a thrilling little tingle to be found worthy. If you've been sewing long enough, you'll recognize certain colors you use on a regular basis or fabric that works great as blenders. These are no-question keepers! And of course, it goes without saying that anything interesting also goes right into this stack. Badda boom, badda boom. You can probably tell that I love getting the chance to do this!

The Maybe fabrics

In the maybe pile, throw anything that makes you wince or make a funny little face of indecision. We'll come back to them later. I don't know about you, but I'll occasionally keep fabric that has uncertain origins or isn't exactly billed as 'quilting' fabric. As long as it's 100% cotton, there is always hope for a place in my stash. Anything that is thin enough to see daylight through, looks cheap or was the sort of thing we made our FFA livestock booth decor out of, well, that goes right into the throw-away pile. Don't even second guess it because you'll never regret getting rid of these types of fabric!

The trash

In this batch of rejected fabrics, I also found a couple pieces of good quality flannel. I like to keep these fabrics because once in a blue moon, I want to make a fast rag quilt to give away. It's an easy-peasy gift and how much better if it's made out of free fabric! The tote below now has my first selection of keeper fabrics, including the four pieces of flannel I found.

First selection of keepers

Now this is where you and I might part ways. The next thing I do is go back to the maybe pile and do a second pass-through. This time I will look for pieces large enough to use in my quilt backings, yet not so hideous as to make me ill. I will also check out those 'uncertain' fabrics a little more thoroughly, try to judge whether or not I want to try my luck using them. Now my tote is getting a little more full! The thing I want you to know is this: All the fabrics from the maybe pile are always on probation. At any time (even after they find a way into my stash), they may still be discarded with zero remorse. I can be ruthless that way!

Adding in the probation fabrics....

Eventually there is a pile of garbage fabric {already disposed of} plus the box of stuff I just don't want in my own stash. {The hated words: It's not you dear, it's me.} And there are several things we can do with this particular fabric. For instance, I have a friend who will generally take what I don't want or I can also take it to the local Senior Citizens Center. They seriously love getting small boxes of discarded fabrics! Every area has different opportunities for donation, it's simple to find out what will work best for you.

My rejects

After I've combed through all the fabrics, then I do one last thing. I reach into the keeper tote and I dig out those pieces of fabric that seem extra special. The ones that make me smile for whatever reason. These are the gems, the reason for the entire exercise! Sometimes I only have a very small piece of an interesting fabric, but you can bet it will be carefully placed into the best possible quilt for that color or print.

The gems

And that's why I call it 'Building Scrap Quilter Muscle'. These are the sorts of fabric that add much needed variety, spice, value, liveliness, and even quirk to our quilts. Is it worth the time and trouble to sort through a little garbage to get to the good stuff? I guess that's up to you. All good fabrics have to go somewhere to die. I'm not too proud to be another stop along the way.*wink  

Linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday and my Courage to Feel Creative Series page.

*Please be advised that the resulting keeper pile is sometimes ominously small compared to the original anticipated return. I do not take any responsibility for a disappointing experience.

The Courage to Feel Creative: Habits of Creativity

I've noticed a few comments lately about 'mojo' or to be more specific: the lack of. In the Urban Dictionary, the meaning of mojo is this: a magic charm, talisman or spell. I personally prefer thinking of it as my drive or want-to. Still... why do we want to rely on something as ephemeral as mojo to get us busy in the quilting room?

Instant access to sewing machine

I don't feel like a random, whenever the mood strikes, oh-no-it's-time-to-make-a-baby-quilt kind of quilter these days and I think this is probably why: I've developed some Habits of Creativity in the last several years. Yep. When that fickle mojo goes on vacation, I can always fall back on something far more dependable these days. Here's how it works:

1. First of all, you have to have a dedicated work space. It doesn't have to be fancy or isolated from the rest of the household but it does have to give you instant access to your sewing machine, rotary mat and iron. There is no compromise here. If you have to take your sewing machine out of the closet or move it out of the way for dinner, you're already sabotaging your 'get up and go'. Find a corner and make it work.

2.  You need a fabric stash available in your home. Have it immediately washed and ready to go. The stash doesn't have to be huge or especially diversified. You just need fabric that you're gonna want to play with and/or start a project with. You can take care of the details later. The important thing is having fabric available when you're ready to get going. And I don't mean when you get back from the store.

3.  Keep a notebook in your purse, by your bed, in your desk and in the quilt room. Use it. Write, draw and record impulsive thoughts and glimmers of inspiration.

4.  Collect quilt books, magazines and patterns that inform, inspire or instruct. Stalk quilt blogs on the Internet. Read about creative people, their habits and the quilting process. Be curious.

5. Set up a Pinterest and start hoarding inspiration. Get a bulletin board and pin real things. Be colorful, brave and whatever else you do, don't over-think things in this department. You have no idea the type of quilter you'll be this time next year.

 The Bulletin board

6. Write out a personal inspiration page. This is crazy important, because this is YOU, the quilter, distilled down into something very potent and strong if you pay attention to the details, which I know you want to do. Be detailed and specific. Focus in on things like patterns, colors, styles, fabrics, structure, applique, words, character, scrappiness, fabric prints and every other thing that makes you love a quilt. Use your descriptive words to further delve into the things that particular appeal to you in the realm of quilt-making--words such as 'quirky', 'traditional', 'sweet', 'fun', 'modern', 'graphic', 'formal', 'Amish' etc. Be thoughtful about this exercise and then pin it on your bulletin board. Update it every couple years. Think about it.

Multiple on-going projects

7. Be brave and work on several different projects at the same time. Work on each phase as it becomes convenient, appealing, or even tedious. Don't downplay the possible results from tedious work--mindless sewing can lead to incredible breakthroughs! Be open to sewing according to your moods. When it times to attack something and clear it out of the stack, be ready.

8. Make routines: Daily, weekly, set amounts of time or even parts of the day--just do it. Work, Do, Make, Create. It takes an effort and commitment which your habits will now make possible. Remember, even little chunks of time eventually produce an outcome. Work, work, work. It's not all gonna be lightning bolts of inspiration and goosebumps of anticipation.

9.  Always make time for prep work. It's fairly tedious, so get it out of the way! Over and over and over this will benefit your feelings of creativity as you are continually and immediately ready to move on into the next phase of a project. 

10. Have a portable project and have it ready to go on a moments notice. Get used to packing it with you even you're convinced it's unnecessary. Stolen moments working on a Forever type project are golden. Be prepared.

11.  Create shopping lists for fabric, threads, batting, template plastic etc. as needed and keep it in your wallet. Plan ahead for the essentials and don't be stuck having to wait for an order in the mail or a convenient time to shop.

Slow quilting

12.  Think about making room for a design wall. Use it! Or use the floor. It doesn't have to be expensive, complicated, glamorous or take over your quilt room to work properly.

13.  Leave time for projects or phases of projects to simmer and INCUBATE. Study what you've accomplished. Consider your options. Allow time to dream about solutions and let your subconscious work through the possibilities. Come back again and again to 'just check in'.

14. Then, when it's time (or you have no other choice): tackle your projects head on. Work to find solutions. Don't let fear rule your quilting world. Mistakes can sometimes lead to something incredibly brilliant. Besides, no matter what the designers want you to believe, there's always gonna be more fabric to love.

Prep work

15.  Consider working in a series. Narrow your options and then gradually open them back up again, thereby possibly kick-starting a whole new kind of brainstorming. You'll never know till you try.

16. Explore, try and LEARN. Be open to challenges, new methods, tools, classes, experiences and even ugly fabrics or colors. Do not limit your imagination or allow yourself to stagnate.

17.  Be willing to have interconnections with other quilters such as quilting groups, bees, QALS, BOMS, quilt-shares, linky parties etc. Push yourself a bit out of your comfort zone but at the same time, make sure you don't get overwhelmed. Figure out the proper balance because it's hard to flourish in a vacuum. Everyone needs feedback.

18.  Make time for play-time. Don't think, just DO. Use your scraps, be creative or work small. Try being frugal and/or upcycle. It all works.

19.  Improve your skill level. You can't break the rules properly until you know them for what they are. 

20.  Believe in yourself. Make an effort to find the foundation of who you are as a quilter and strive to perfect on that vision. Don't bother to make comparisons with quilters you admire because you'll either come up lacking every single time or lose sight of what's important. Consider starting a blog or keeping a diary. Be honest and be real.

Inspiration and information

21.  Start, Finish, Start, Finish. Rinse and repeat.

22.  BE in your quilting space. Be in your quilting space. Be in your quilting space. Get the idea? Absorb, clean, organize, play with fabric, make interesting stacks and combinations of fabric or hunt up a perfect fabric, look at every UFO--audition and consider, give yourself permission to jettison partially formulated ideas and projects, make lists for shopping, ideas and goals, re-do bulletin boards, pin Pinterest pics, and/or think. Forget about avoidance--it gets bitter and clingy. Dream about the next project. Be daring and START something new! You don't have to LIVE here, you just need to be comfortable in the space.

23. Take time to look at your beginning, middle and current progress. Pull out all of your quilts and/or quilt tops and reflect. Understand where you've been and where you might be heading.

24. Take advantage of times of Illumination. Get right to work. Shove everything else out of the way. Take advantage of free flowing ideas and inspiration. Capture the spark!

25.  Consider including Slow Quilting type projects in with your regular quilting projects: hand piecing, EPP, hand quilting. Make time for introspection and thoughtful quilting.

26. Listen. Trust your instincts. Key in to your intuition and gently cultivate the same. Don't push through a balky idea if something is hovering right there out of sight. Patience has its rewards you know.

Starting and finishing

27.  Be a time saving machine: iron properly, trim, chain piece, figure out the best methods for how your particular mind works with where your skill level currently resides. Efficiency can be gained by not making critical mistakes that make you best friends with the seam ripper or causing re-do's. As you gain experience, difference methods might become faster or make more sense.

28.  Occasionally be open to combining ideas, projects, stacks of fabrics and/or quilting pieces. Don't feel like you have to isolate anything. Let ideas meld and watch new sparks and layers occur.

29.  Fill up the well. Take walks, read books, spend time with family, take vacations. Refresh.

30. Give quilts away. Put your heart and soul into a quilt, give it some love and then freely give it away.

In closing: I admit to times when I'm less interested in quilting than others. There are weak areas in my 'Habits of Creativity' development and I get stuck in the ruts or cower in my safe little comfort zone just like everyone else. Ha! Do. I. ever. The important thing is: I don't stay in that place for very long these days. I may not be an artist or a professional, but I'm a great quilter and you know what? I'm kind of excited about that these days.

The Courage to Feel Creative: Habits of Creativity

One of the most fascinating thing to me about the average quilter is the widespread belief that there are those who are ‘creative’ and those that just aren't. There’s a feeling of ‘We weren't blessed with the creative gene and thus all our work is doomed to mediocrity except for the rare great quilt that comes about when all the proper stars align.’ Personally, for the first ten years or so of quilting, I had no idea there was even a creative ‘process’ involved (that applied to quilters) for everyone to learn to tap into and take advantage of. Learning to recognize that process is very important in growing our confidence to the point of ‘feeling’ creative. It's only when we properly recognize the process, that we can begin to develop and take advantage of it.

The Big Broken Dish

When we read about the creative process (no matter the medium applied to), it’s pretty much a universal understanding that there are four distinct steps: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, and Implementation.

Preparation is basically what we think of as work. Like my daughter in band playing scales, warm-ups, drills and songs. Sometimes it’s enjoyable, but mostly it’s a part of the process that can be tedious and mundane. It's the learning and skills part too. Very important, but still, work.

Preparation

Incubation is a part of the process that is ephemeral. Mostly because we can’t pin it down exactly--it just is. This is where an idea is percolating. You hear of quilts being allowed to marinate or simmer? Nothing physical is happening, but our subconscious is trying to make connections and burning through a million ideas all in the background. If this phase doesn’t get too messed up by all the busyness and immediate concerns of life, then….

Incubation

Illumination can and will happen! We all know of it as the ‘light bulb moment’ and it never seems to happen at a convenient time. Usually, Illumination hits while doing something a bit brainless, like washing dishes, taking a shower, driving a well traveled road, or falling almost to sleep. This is the moment when ideas are literally spilling out all over themselves and we almost can’t keep up.

Illumination

Implementation then would be the phase where the ideas we've been preparing and incubating can finally be put into action. Again, with my daughter in music, it’s where the song finally starts to flow. Implementation is yet another phase that involves work. It takes time and effort to put ideas into place. It also takes trust, which most of us have to cultivate. Not every idea will work out, but we won’t know until we are involved in the actual implementation of the idea.

Implementation

It’s very important for us to take advantage of what we know about the process of creativity and how it applies to us as quilters. For instance, many of us put the brakes on our creativity simply by not making a record of our ideas when they occur to us. When the ideas starting flowing, we need to immediately put pen to paper so we will remember them for later! Other ways we short circuit our creativity is by the assaulting of our senses with too much computer/tv time, having jam packed schedules without proper time carved out to quilt, trying to quilt in a vacuum and not sharing, giving ourselves rigid unnecessary deadlines, or even maybe ignoring our own creative impulses in an effort to make something that we think will be well received by others. There are lots of ways we can sabotage our own creativity.

It's a series of steps that aren't always orderly...

Before I understood that there was a creative process that might apply to me as a quilter, I would get frustrated by my habit of wandering through my quilting room and fondling fabric or laying projects out for inspection but basically doing nothing.  I thought it was wasted time and it really annoyed me. NO! That’s incubation without forcing or rushing a seed of an idea.

I used to get almost paralyzed by the fact that I somehow always ended up with 3 to 4 open ended quilt projects. Often, I would force one to completion before it’s time. Or I would refuse to start a new project until I whittled away at my ufo’s to my satisfaction. It’s tough to work on quilting as much as we’d like to when we only have one project going though. When the time comes that we’re stuck and need to make a decision before continuing, what are we to do?

I personally find that having a slow quilting project (or two) gives me lots of time to let my mind wander where it will while still getting another project ever closer to a finish. Or even chain piecing blocks. Or piling up lovely combinations of fabric for a future project. You get the idea. When I'm feeling restless, I do something with fabric or in the quilting room whether it's work or not--and even if it's only for 15 minutes! Then at least my mind will be focused (without forcing it) on the proper subject matter (without any particulars staring me in the face) and my dilemma is usually resolved all the faster. I have definitely been known to throw my chain piecing or hand quilting aside in my rush to write some ideas down or dig for certain fabrics and blocks! 

See, even my quilt is waving HELLO! Wake up!

Learning about the creative process is where I feel like I crossed through an invisible barrier with my quilting efforts. Being able to recognize my actions and feelings plus being able to take advantage of them and FOCUS helped me tremendously. I have a dedicated quilting space. There is pen and paper in my purse, by the side of my bed, in my kitchen and in my quilting room. I have a bulletin board with ideas in my quilting room. I have a design wall, albeit a small one, where I see some of my process all of the time. I have a blog where I share and open myself up to criticism (and hopefully support too). I include time in my schedule to quilt, sometimes even as a reward. I keep slow quilting projects available for when I visit, travel or wind down in the evening. I'm not afraid to have lots of open-ended projects or take a year to work through a single quilt top. Once in awhile I toss a quilt project aside to cut something out because I just can't wait to work on it. I work, do, make and create. It isn't always pretty. And as you can see, my creative process is sometimes even a rumpled mess.*wink

On another note, I've decided that although I'm returning to this conversation, it would be an injustice to try to do it on a pre-determined schedule. My priorities have to be, as always, my family and their particular concerns.

The Courage to Feel Creative: Time to Refresh

After giving this a lot of thought, I've decided to take a break from the series for now.  I know, I know, it’s barely started and why would I want to lose any momentum? The thing is, it’s Summer time here in our part of the world. For me, that usually means paring down the on the obligations, having fewer appointments, less pressure to DO and BE, and of course more time to hang about and drink iced tea if that’s what needs to be done.*wink

Sometimes it helps to think about the bigger picture...

For us to be able to take full advantage of what creativity seems willing to bring to us, it also becomes important to make the time to refresh ourselves and find quiet moments. Summer time around here is the perfect time to slow down and not take life quite so seriously. If I just want to drift from project to project or even play with a new one (oh yeah!), then I don’t want it to get in the way of figuring out what needs to be written for Wednesday’s Courage to Feel Creative series.

Applique all finished up on the red/white & blue fun quilt.
I'm scheming about the next step already...

Please don’t go away mad. Having creativity is not a bottomless well unless it's properly cared for! Clarity about what it brings to our lives helps in the battle to keep it a positive and rewarding thing. In the aftermath of all our crazy family time, I've concluded that someone around here is due for some down time. That of course would be me, which probably means scaling back a bit and maybe even focusing (without really focusing?) on the projects that are open ended, but still extremely interesting for whatever obscure reason. 

AND, (I probably better just get this out in the open), finding time to cut out and make my sister a baby quilt before her new baby arrives. lol  Baby quilts are easy, so it's painful to admit that I'm struggling with getting this one together. Hmm… You can laugh, but sometimes the answer comes after a few lazy days and weeks of ‘not thinking’ very deeply at all….

The Courage to Feel Creative: Taking Control of Your Quilts, Part #2

Every single quilt we make has the potential to be better (more what we like) than what the original pattern or picture of a quilt suggests. I love hearing from the ones that say they don't even use a pattern anymore, can't hardly figure them out or get frustrated by the directions! See, that's what I think helps us to be more creative, because we have to figure out the math. We have to problem solve with our favorite techniques or be willing to learn new ones.

Started with a pattern:
Changed color throughout
Added more rows of triangles

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR QUILTING: Simple ideas to think about for Partial Creativity when using a pattern or even a picture of a quilt as your guide. Mostly pointed at less experienced quilters to get them thinking about all the very different ways they can make unique (to them) changes!

• Change the colors of the quilt: Would it look better scrappy? Two-tone? Navy background instead of green? It’s a baby step that often feels EASY and often where most quilters start improvising first. Try scanning a picture and changing it to gray scale if you have trouble imagining something different.
• Use a different block pattern than the one stated in the directions: If you like the Ohio star pattern better than the Sawtooth star pattern, then that’s a simple change to make.
• Change the centerpiece or a border in a medallion quilt.
• Make the sashing and 1st border out of the same fabric as the background fabric to cause a floating effect for the blocks.
• Change the size of the blocks in the quilt: Could they be larger or smaller and look better to you? What about a mini quilt or a quilt with huge, over-sized blocks?
• Try adding a border or two onto your quilt: Don't just think about one-fabric borders, there are also scrappy and pieced borders to consider. What about a mix of solid and pieced borders?
• Consider changing the shape of the quilt: Not everyone likes their quilts to be square. What about adding an extra row or two to the quilt, rounding the corners of the quilt or even trying a scalloped edge?
• Could it the quilt use some applique?: What about appliquéd words, a saying, the year or your initials?
• Consider the sashing: No sashing? Pieced sashing? Scrappy sashing?
• Simplify the quilt: Don’t forget to look for what could be eliminated from a quilt. Sometimes less is better.

Started with a pattern:
Slight change in colors
Addition of asymmetrical border to change shape of quilt
Addition of applique elements

It's important to make it a habit to always consider changing different elements of a quilt pattern--one area at a time as we get to it--even if it's our own design. I don’t cut out all the fabric for an entire quilt at one time anymore.  It makes more sense to finish one stage before making the decision to continue with the pattern (or picture) ‘AS IS' or not. Sometimes there other ideas we want to play with that seem more important!

Started with a pattern:
Slight change in color throughout
Substituted applique elements
Addition of top and bottom borders to change shape of quilt
Extra out-of-proportion applique blocks

Beginning quilters starting with a pre-determined pattern need to know that little changes will probably not affect the underlying integrity of the quilt; ie, the things we love most about it and the reason we want to make it in the first place. Every change is not going to have a perfect ending, but it‘s usually worth the effort to try just for the experience gained.

Started with a picture instead of pattern:
Slight change in color throughout
Substituted centerpiece block
Subtle change in a few applique elements
Slight change in border widths from original

There are definitely dilemmas that can result from making a change--any change! This is where people struggle the most initially and then give up in frustration, so it's good to start small.  Working through a resulting problem (even if it takes a couple go-rounds), makes it easier to move on with more confidence to the next quilt, that is, if the design problem is ‘solved’ to our satisfaction! lol As we gain experience, it will get easier to predict how a simple change will affect the quilt too. Basically, making a change that ends up causing unforeseen problems forces us to find a creative solution, so it's really not something to fear! In actuality, sometimes it's the best thing that can happen to our quilts because creativity has this crazy habit of building upon itself.

We need to think, play and consider.  Sit on an idea and then come back and consider it once more. Don’t be in too much of a hurry and rush things! Will it work? Do we still like the idea? Are we excited about it? If so, then we need to go for it, because excitement is really important to capitalize on. One little step at a time through the application of partial creativity makes all the difference in learning and growing our personal creativity. We start feeling REAL confidence in it because there are results right in front of our eyes. The primary goal should always be about making quilts that make us happy!

The Courage to Feel Creative: Taking Control of Your Quilting

At some point most of us need to learn how to move past complete and total imitation in order to sew the quilts that we long to make and feel truly creative. That’s a given. Perhaps it’s because of the left brain thing, but for many of us, it’s an extremely tough process that doesn't happen overnight. I call it 'taking control of your quilting’, but the fact is, it’s far easier to stick with the familiar (staying with printed directions) than to try something new. With the familiar, there is a feeling of guaranteed success which is much more attractive than edging out onto the limb of many unknowns, risking possible failure or disappointment. There is a certain amount of resistance (fear) when out on that limb that simply has to be overcome.

Started with a pattern:
Changed the colors throughout

While it's true that we need someone to hold our hand to start with, that shouldn't have to last forever! We have trained ourselves to work from step by step directions and can‘t quite figure out how to do anything different! It‘s very clear why we are involved in this craft in the first place. We love quilts.  Old, new, vintage, scrappy, traditional, modern quilts--you name it, we love them! Along with that love, comes the desire to learn how to reproduce our favorite styles and we‘re trying as hard as we can to do just that. So, there’s a bazillion techniques and methods to learn, experience to be gained and we ask, where’s the time to make a horrible flop? Figuring out how to deviate from proven, successful formulas is a bit intimidating, scary and yes, even feels a bit unnecessary at times. There is a lot of comfort in sticking with the familiar, especially as we get better and better at our technique.

Started with a pattern:
Slight change in colors

A dictionary definition for the word creativity is this: The use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work. See? It’s all so confusing when applied to the business of making quilts. Leaving aside the bit about ‘artistic work’ because we don‘t dare call ourselves artists at this point, what if we just want to make beautiful quilts regardless of who designed them? Is it okay to feel ‘creative’ about making a replica of a fabulous, stunning quilt?  After all, it IS a very difficult undertaking (not something just anyone can accomplish) and we do end up with something incredible in the long term. We certainly can’t deny the feeling of pride and accomplishment in that! 

Started with a pattern:
Very subtle change in colors
Added a border

Sometimes it feels like we practically have to reinvent the wheel in order to get credit for our creativity when, obviously, imagination and originality aren't something the average person can carry around in their hip pocket. Hmm… Okay, so it seems that creativity isn't just about ability then, but rather something a bit more personal and unique.

Here’s the way that I see it. Quilting is not a new craft. There is very little that is radically different (original) in the quilting world today than from what was made hundreds of years ago.  It’s still bits of fabric sandwiched together with batting and binding, held together with some kind of stitching. I personally LOVE the fact that the quilts we make today are based on hundreds of years of copying, adaptation and assimilation! If you bring it down to it’s unadulterated form, quilting is evidently an industry that flourishes from what is technically years of quilters ‘borrowing and stealing’ ideas. How fascinating that the end result is quilt after quilt made with subtle variations that somehow translate into something very personalized and unique! Yay! for human nature!

Started with a pattern:
Changed background color
Slight change in other colors
Changed sawtooth block on inside of snails trail to
present differently than border stars

Since most of us aren't content to forever (exactly) copy other peoples work, then eventually we too are going to have to dive off into the abyss of creativity regardless of our possible misgivings. We have to take control of our quilting by making some personal decisions. How far we take it is certainly up to us, but the fact is, most of us are already doing it in one way or another! Having our favorite colors, techniques and/or methods, personal biases and preferred quilting elements make it perfectly normal to want to change one little thing in a quilting pattern. Or even two or more! When we follow through with that urge, it’s called partial creativity. For the creatively challenged, I think it’s probably the golden key that unlocks the door to the magic kingdom--making very personalized quilts, one little change at a time and taking control of the end result.

Started with a pattern:
Changed from two-solid colors to dark & scrappy
Added more blocks & rows

Once again, I have more to say on this subject that I don’t want to hold over till next week! Eek! Will I ever quit? lol I have a list of ideas for partial creativity that I want to throw out at you tomorrow--nothing new or earth shattering, but I think it does kind of wrap this topic up a little better. So much to think about.... Does anyone else agree that partial creativity is a very valid part of the quilt making process? I kind of view it as a sneaky way to take control of our quilting with the little baby steps that seem so necessary to the less confident among us!

The Courage to Feel Creative: Fabric Love Part #2

Yesterday we considered the creative aspect of building our own personal stash (Fabric Love) and today I’m going launch off into the subject of buying fabric as a practical matter. For the record, I think I'm much too frugal minded to be a purist! Also, as a dedicated scrap quilter, well, sometimes I can work my way around to at least being delighted with a piece of fabric under the right circumstances. I'm good with that. If a fabric purge feels right to you and necessary in order to clean up your stash, then I say go for it! For me, the goal is to get rid of the awful fabrics, consider if (and where) I can use and/or hide the ‘maybe’ fabrics and then make a better effort to bring home fabric I love in the future. 

So.. Shopping.  Who doesn't enjoy that? It’s important to buy fabric for the purposes of adding to our stash and not just for a particular project. We obviously need to have fabric available for those impulsive projects that burn into our brains at terribly inconvenient times or what we can have is lost creativity, plain and simple. I‘m being serious here. We NEED fabric. Which we totally go along with. Oh yeah, more fabric coming our way! But there’s another side to that theory because some of us can truly get tripped up by things like limited funds or just too many dubious fabric choices stacked up at home. That's reality, but most of us don‘t have a black American Express card in our wallet to help ease the guilt. I think focused shopping can help some of us so that we don’t drag our quilty habit down into regret or otherwise adversely affect our creative spirits.

Here’s a tip that I learned years ago that might work well for you too.  It helped when I was a newbie quilter and it still works today if I remember to make the effort! The key is learning to pay attention to what fabrics are unequivocally speaking to you--finding the beauty and leaving behind the dross.

HOW TO FOCUS AND SHOP WELL (An exercise in looking beyond the obvious):

{*}Try perusing in a slow, unhurried pace around the entire store first before picking anything up. I've learned that some of the most incredible pieces of fabric for our personal stash are hiding. Only pause if something particularly catches the eye! Zero in on the few fabrics that are shamelessly trumpeting their attractions and spend a few extra seconds with them. Cruise the entire store (this even works with on-line shopping although you might want to put stuff in a cart and then eliminate later?) and remember to take a look at all the fabric styles. It’s really helpful to also look at fabrics that aren't usually your thing.  It’s a very good yardstick for judging how interesting the other fabric actually is!  Also, we never know when and how our taste in fabric will evolve through the years, so it’s best to stay alert and focused beyond the obvious choices.

After you've circled through the entire store (sometimes I even do that twice, hopefully not in a creepy way), then it’s time to go pick up a bolt here or there for cutting and gather the fat quarters that are speaking directly to you. I usually leave behind anything I’m waffling about. There will always be other fabric available. Go ahead and repeat that if you have to.*wink

SPECIFIC THINGS TO TRY AND KEEP IN MIND WHILE SHOPPING:

• Buy fabric that whispers, ‘Take me home, I’m special’
• Learn to buy selectively and judiciously--one amazing piece of fabric is infinitely more inspiring than three ‘so-so’ ones
• Buy from specific fabric shopping lists kept on hand (more about that in a later post)
• Be adventurous in noticing (and buying) random pieces of fabric--These particular choices are the sweetest of acquisitions later on
• Don’t buy ugly fabric just because it’s been languishing in the discount bin long enough to be a fraction of the regular price.  Make it a really good reason.
• Do try and leave the store after only buying 1 fat quarter if that’s ALL that is worth collecting.  Really. Have some self control. lol

So… Be prepared for the fact that fabric stores are a dangerous place--main street or on-line. Step inside with a plan of attack even when ‘just looking’! This is the most effective way I've found to make sure that I can leave with fabric that will work really hard for me in my stash.

Okay, that was a lot to contemplate in two days, covering the importance of having a good stash, accumulating fabric that speaks directly to us and focused shopping. There are many other practical details like how much fabric to buy, making detailed buying lists, plus alternate ways to acquire fabric, etc., but we should probably move to something else for next Wednesday. Depending on the interest, this conversation could continue for quite awhile. I will definitely be taking my cues from you!

The Courage to Feel Creative: Fabric Love

The first thing that I want to talk about is Fabric Love. It really is the bedrock of our quilty craft. If we didn't love fabric, we certainly wouldn't be buying it, cutting it up into little pieces and then re-sewing it into a quilt! Some would say that there’s nothing at all creative about accumulating fabric, but I say we need to start thinking of it as part of the process because it’s the first step of DOING. Of course it’s also a practical concern because it generally takes some money to acquire, which means that most of us can’t buy all that we want to!  Hmm…. Maybe we need to learn to be better and more efficient fabric shoppers.

I’m sure that some of you are thinking ‘Move on already, this is the one thing I feel confident about! Don‘t try to mess with my fun!’ But let’s think about this for a moment. A huge part of creativity is wrapped up in our ability to express who we are and what we want to say. Even if we don’t deliberately set out to make a statement (and many of us think we don't care too much about that area of quilting) it’s already happening, starting from the minute we bring a piece of fabric home and put it into our stash.

How? Why? Creativity can't happen that easily! Go check out a couple blogs if you don’t believe me: blue elephant stitches, Inspired by Antique Quilts, nifty quilts, and Supergoof Quilts to start with.  Very distinctive styles right? And it all starts with their particular fabric choices BECAUSE, regardless of what pattern they choose to play with, there seems to be a subtle, yet very unique quality that tells us exactly who made the quilt. We should be so lucky! They tend to blend fabrics together in a way that is very hard to replicate, though I believe many of us have tried through the years. lol

That’s why it’s so very important to collect fabric that we love. Fabric that speaks to us.  Even fabric that we care about for some strange, odd reason that only makes sense to ‘moi? Who cares about what someone else may think! In my opinion, having a selection of intriguing (to us) fabrics at hand is the absolute heart of being able to make personalized quilts. I don’t think that gets emphasized nearly enough! If each of us can draw from a pool of fabric that speaks personally to our senses, invites us to play, and makes us feel good about what we’re making, then we’ll have more courage to open up and take risks. We'll be practically itching to pull it out and DO something with it! Call it the first step in creativity or call it fun, but we’re the only one that can make it happen properly.

Simply put, I think that making a conscious effort to build a unique stash is essential to having confidence in what we make and being happy with the results! There is more that segues in with this that I happen to call ‘Focused Shopping’, but I think I’d rather post that tomorrow and then jump to something else next Wednesday. So much to wade through! What do you think? Is Fabric Love part of being creative or not?

*Please feel free to come back and read through the comments! I know that everyone has a different insight depending on how they're personally wired!

The Courage To Feel Creative

Scrap Basket Progress--
I was sure it was shaping up to be a wall hanging, but now?

I’m going to go waaay out on a limb here and start doing something a little different.  About once a week (probably on Wednesday's) I want to start doing a series of posts relating to the topic ‘The Courage To Feel Creative’. Primarily I intend for it to be a conversation directed towards those of us that feel, in particular, creatively challenged when it comes to making personalized quilts.

I am a self-taught quilter with nary a string of letters behind my name which can only mean this: I have no credentials. None, except for fact that I have several years of experience plodding through the creativity struggles! I often think of the ‘quilter unknown’ label that graces many a quilt in a museum or display. Obviously they (the unknown quilter) were not well-known or famous in any specific way or surely someone would have been able to place a name with the quilt that is now so obviously residing in place of honor. Our media environment seems to treat it as a fluke of sorts, like only the Kaffe Fasset’s (not really picking on him--his work is incredible) of this world could ever truly be thought of as ‘creative’ and they, the unknown quilter, just kind of snuck in somehow under the grid.

But what if we all have the potential to be creative, just like the unknown quilter? What if you and I had the ability to be A LOT MORE creative? Wouldn't that be amazing? Enough of this IF ONLY business. What's the worst that can happen if we try? A long time ago many of us gave up on the idea that the average, common Jane/Joe was capable of being truly, deep down creative and now it’s tough to win back the trust we no doubt once had in our very own instincts. Unfortunately, most of us will have to dig up some courage through baby steps, recognition of the process and a little familiarity with ourselves before we can prevail in the battle our-self.

I believe many of us have a serious (dare I say, burning?) drive to create something beautiful and still, we second guess ourselves, question our own ability to succeed and often, just plain don‘t know how go about the process. Stepping out of the prescribed box that we’re in is going to be scary and hard. People are going to know and talk and yes, maybe even critique our efforts as paltry.

So let's have that conversation about ‘The Courage To Feel Creative’ and discuss practicalities, thoughts, ideas and maybe even the occasional exercise thrown in to help clarify a point or two.  I don’t want to be like the privileged few who hoard their creativity to themselves like a rare diamond. It's not going to run low like coveted stock at the department store! And lets be clear about one other thing while we're at it: this is not a NEW conversation, merely a different approach from perhaps an unconventional perspective! You never know,  I might even manage to have some valuable insight that speaks clearly to you, the struggling quilter and at the same time, resonate loudly with you, the more experienced quilter.  Lol  One can only hope.

So.... BASIC CATEGORIES TO LOOK FOR IN THE WEEKS AHEAD if I can keep my nerve up!:

FABRIC LOVE: The foundation of quilting is simple. Loving fabric=the desire to make a bright shiny quilt.

NITTY GRITTY OF FABRIC: Details to think about. A good quilt will have depth, interest, movement and sparkle.  We hope.

INSPIRATION HOARDING: Why aren't we making what we really love already? Don’t be a sheep following the rest of the sheep off the cliff of commercialized trends.

TAKING CONTROL: Confidence is gained by taking control of our quilting and facing our fears. Don’t kid yourself, it takes both time and experience.

HABITS OF CREATIVITY:  Work, Do, Make, Create.  It’s a big one to tackle.

DIVERSIONS AND PLAY: Sometimes we gotta relax and clear our mind, it’s really just that simple.

The REWARDS:  Filling our time with beauty instead of garbage and of course, improved mental health in a crazy, fast paced world.  Why else would we possibly be quilting?

Expect me to jump around from topic to topic and then double back and dive in yet again. I’m pretty sure I'm looking forward to this in spite of the hives I probably broke out in the minute I hit the ‘publish’ button.*wink