A Creative Journey
Oh Lola,
In my wildest dreams, I never thought I could travel to so
many interesting sewing destinations!
These destinations don’t even require any “real” travel. I learned I could create my very own “sewing
cities” with creative techniques, broken rules and just plain fun!
As you know, my personal sewing compass is all over the
place. I decided a long time ago to
expose myself to as many sewing opportunities as possible. I have tried heirloom sewing, garment sewing,
quilting, machine embroidery and machine applique to name a few. Some techniques deserve to be revisited and
others are yet to be discovered. My
latest discoveries are very outside the box for me, and fall into the category
of “Art Quilting”.
The first new sewing destination came to me through a class
taught by Susan Powell at Thimble Pleasures in Chapel Hill, NC. The class, titled Cityscapes was a marriage of unstructured or free form quilting,
art quilting techniques and machine applique.
The class was a wonderful opportunity to sew without rules. Susan introduced herself as someone who prefers
to sew without structure. I loved her
the minute she told the class, “There
are no mistakes and there are no rules!”
Our class journey began with new ways to look at fabrics. Thinking about colors and patterns as
building blocks – literally – was a very interesting notion to me. My eye was awakened to think of fabrics as
windows, doors, roofs and roads. Scale
and form could be anything that struck my fancy. The truly great thing about creating fabric
buildings – no structural engineering required!
Sewing and cutting without a definitive pattern was so
liberating. My buildings could be
whatever I wanted them to be! Motifs
within my cityscape could go in any direction.
Seam allowances didn’t matter and straight cutting should be
avoided! My fellow students and I shared
ideas, fabrics and one of the most collaborative classes I have ever
attended. Each of us had brought various
fabrics to use, but before the day was out, little pieces of my stash found
themselves into the artwork of my classmates and vice versa. It was so fun to offer each other both
encouragement and little bits of fabric.
When I look at my Cityscape, I can’t help remembering Susan, Sharyn,
Nicole, Mary and all my other collaborators.
They each lent a serendipitous contribution to my finished art quilt
that is both magical and memorable. I
loved this project so much; I plan on making more Cityscapes in the future.
Cityscape
My second “sewing city” is a more whimsical but no less
creative destination. I arrived here via
Karen West’s class, Fusible Applique
Houses, also offered at Thimble Pleasures.
Karen’s samples opened new creative horizons for all of us. Until that moment, I just never thought, I’d want a fabric with
dogs or cats on it! Remember – “never
say never!”
The process was somewhat similar in that the rules were very
outside the lines of conventional sewing rules.
I learned that Wonder Under and Fast 2 Fuse are my friends. I also learned that it stinks to gum up your
iron with sticky goo! I gained a new and serious appreciation for free-motion
applique techniques and found even more ways to look at fabric as a building
material! My imagination grew whimsical
wings and took flight! I named my finished project –
House of Possibilities.
This class was another triumph of collaboration, sewing
sisterhood, and creativity. Thinking of
fabrics as treetops, grass, roofs, flowers, windows and pets was like a trip
into a fantasyland. Layering and fusing
the fabrics created a canvas for stitching details that brought the scenes to
life. I felt like Mary Poppins – ready
to jump into the scene and explore the little worlds each of us created. How fun it was to sew a perfect little house
built entirely by the threads of my imagination. Seeing how my classmates, Nicole, Debbie,
Diane, and Bonnie liberated little butterflies, bunnies, puppies and kitties from
their fabrics, helped me to think of my fabrics as characters with stories to
tell!
House of Possibilities
After my metaphorical travels, I find my creativity invigorated. I am open to new techniques that will further my sewing journey. I can’t wait to travel to my next “sewing city” and meet other sister travelers along the way. All that’s required – a little imagination, a
few scraps and a desire to “sew” out into the world!
Hugs and stitches,
Sew Sleepless
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