I love making things. Anything. There is something very satisfying about taking an object and re-purposing it. Maybe it is fabric. A piece of wood. Or glass. Maybe it was a window or a door. What should it become? As creator, you can choose. Maybe it will be cut. Maybe it will be painted. Maybe it will be mixed.
My problem? I have a hard time following rules (and patterns). Knowing them is good. Knowing the consequences of breaking them is good too. Mistakes multiply. A small mistake made early in a quilt can throw the whole project off the rails in the end. But other times, breaking the rules ends up as something unique, something special. There is no question that following a pattern gives you the expected; a project with the best chance of success. Making up a pattern involves risk, exploration and hundreds of decisions along the way. Sometimes it pays off. Other times, not so much.
Another problem? I cannot quit making things. There is something inside that just needs to be expressed. Sometimes it’s an idea. Sometimes a concept. Sometimes a challenge. It has nothing to do with need. If I needed a quilt, I could go buy one for a fraction of the price it costs to make one. They even look nice – but there is no personal connection and might even have been made by child labour in a 3rd world country. That’s a discussion for another day, but a concern none the less. Handmade means a fabric was specially chosen out of hundreds viewed at the fabric store. It means consideration was given to the type of pattern that would be used. It means many tiny pieces were carefully measured and cut. It means hours were spent looking, planning and constructing. It means careful attention was paid to a thousand details. Something of my personality was put into every piece.
I usually have a dozen things on the go at any given time. Some at home. Some at the lake. Some for the road. Some almost done. Some just being started. Some in the ‘percolation’ stage. Some in the cue. Some for winter. Some for summer. And everything in-between. Over my life I have done or attempted most crafts, but now most of my attention is devoted to quilting. I took my first quilting class when I retired in 2011. Wish I would have started years ago. I never knew what a big wonderful world it was out there! Now its catch-up time. So many things to learn! So many things to make! So many places to go!
This blog is mostly about my quilting journey but since we are not one dimensional, there may be some non-quilting posts. I like gardening, yard art, and salvaging or re-purposing items destined for destruction. I also hope to promote the craft of quilting by telling stories/thoughts related to quilting. I also hope to inspire you to create something. Anything.
Judy's Quilting Studio 