Word of the Year, 2012


Oh gosh you guys, I had such a hard time focussing these past couple of days.  I was feeling better - well enough to take Tyler for a walk and well enough to spend some time in the studio - but not well enough to work on the shirt piece - which is so massive that it takes quite a lot of physical wrestling to work with it. 

So I pulled some of my favourite green scraps, and started putting them together in fused layers of vaguely floral origin - I had an ephemeral idea that I would do a green on green floral fantasy kind of thing, accented with white hand drawings (inspired by Alisa Burke's sugar skulls) but after I'd fused two or three flowers together, this "Uh... what are you doing" vibe started happening, so I put all that stuff away. 


And then, I guess because I had florals on my mind and because I came across my disperse dye papers the other day when I was looking for something else, I decided that I'd make a disperse dye flora piece. Cuz that's, you know, really different that the other thing, and much more like what I usually do! *insert eye roll here*

I got this far and then that same "Girl, what are you doing?" feeling started creeping up on me. 

Pause. Reset.


What was my word of the year again? Oh yeah. INTENTION.  And what was I supposed to do this year? NOT make stuff just to make it, or to produce stuff just for the blog, or to join in 'cuz I like community. 

I'm supposed to be making stuff that furthers my goals as a would-be artist.  


After seeing the recent fiber art show and picking up a copy of International Quilt Festival Magazine, I realized that being accepted into fine art shows is one thing (and it's an amazingly great thing!); but to be accepted into fiber art shows, I need to brush up on the craft of the work, and not only focus on the art.  I have been practicing my finishing techniques as a result; but I realized my quilting could use some brushing up too. 

When I look at my older work, I see my stitches were a uneven, and though I love the modern look of a piece with an envelope closing which is why I use them - I realized that an envelope closing could make me a bit lazy, and some of my backs were starting to look decidedly gnarly. 


And with that in mind, I decided to work on a piece whose purpose was to improve my quilting.  

Maybe deciding to do that with a high pile plush silk velvet background wasn't the easiest way to do that, but having to go over each individual element two and three times in order for it to show up in the pile means I just have to be that much more precise with my quilting. 

And that can't be a bad thing, right? :)

More on Wednesday....

Kit 120

Kit Lang

4 comments:

  1. Yeah, I get it. However, I WAS very intrigued with that pile of green.....

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  2. Sometimes we just need to play too!
    Sometimes I think I want to have it all figured out but if I don't play the ideas won't come.
    How about combining the intention and play...
    Time for Intentional play... I think I may have found my word to work on for next year... And I can contribute that to you Kit! lol
    And I did like the green too! All those bits might make a create base to work on.... hummmmmmmm

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  3. Oh, Kit! After all that I would feel sick all over again! It struck me that I've always thought that the traditional quilt shows always look for precision and perfect stitches, bindings, backs, etc. while the art quilt world is looking for the art itself. (I'm always kind of amazed at art quilts that have rows of seemingly unrelated, uneven hand-stitching thrown in). Of the 4 art quilts I've purchased, 3 have the envelope finishing. My recent pieces have a felt back and zig- zag edges ala Jamie Fingal at Twisted Sister.
    I think your work is amazing and hope you do whatever is fun, rather than look for the impossible perfection!

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  4. No such thing as perfect is why I make art quilts...that said I just finished putting new clean backs on 15 mini quilts to put in a show. I mean what if some one actually wants to but one of them? But truth, my hand stitching is far from perfect.
    Love the pile of green!!
    All your intentions look good.
    And what's this about a wannabe artist? Please! Pleaze!

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