This is my piece, Tribute. I have been adding elements to it over the last two weeks. I want to finish it. I do not want it to languish. If it does, it will lose its edge and its meaning. I am not one to work on numerous projects at once anymore. If I fall into this pattern, I put things aside and do not finish them. This piece is so important to me that I feel compelled to keep it in front of me everyday, so I know it will find a conclusion. I spent part of the afternoon “sketching” a quote at the top of this piece. I did not finish it because it was time to get away from the tedium. I had a cat on my lap and my legs were asleep, and I was feeling a little stir-crazy. Then the phone rang…my youngest daughter, and so the session ended.
There must be a way to convey the spirit of a piece through words. I love words and stories and memories and insight. But I am not sure if embroidering them is what I need to do in this piece. Paint? Collage? Digital print? Get away from it for awhile until I figure it out?
I added pieces of Liberty prints to the cartoon-like images that were on the digital copy. I realize I am being a little braver than is normal for me in sharing a piece that is not finished, but this is partly why I started my blog….to get out there and be fearless (less timid), and know that it is okay, whatever the outcome. After all, we cross the street every day with confidence, and I sometimes wonder why. Given the statistics of pedestrian fatalities, really, what do I have to lose sharing a piece of cloth with the world? How silly can that fear be?
not silly. great to see it. it is a well melted cloth from well chosen pieces. sometimes i just keep a key phrase in my head. i work it over and over and write down new versions of it or better yet just keep revising it mentally . i repeat it over and over in my head as it morphs into the right words. sentences sometimes. it usually becomes a very short story. and when i go to write…sometime the piece calls to other elements to complete it. more scraps, new words, images…a bigger story. i know i am rambling but rambling is what i do in stitch too.
What a treat to get such advice from one of the experts! I like the term “well melted cloth”. Sometimes it is hard to know if all the pieces do, in fact, ultimately blend. I am getting the idea of how you work now and how the pieces grow from perhaps a word or long quote re-sized to the music in your own head. I think I was trying to write too much to convey something that definitely could be simplified. More elements can be added for sure. I think I need to leave this section today and work on another part of it.
Pull back and give us an overall shot. There is much wonderful stuff going on now from what I’ve seen so far…more may be too much.
I will post another photo later of the overall, maybe tonight after I have had a chance to work on it. You may be right. I might focus on what is there and leave the rest to the imagination of others. Not everything has to be spelled out. I just need to do more thinking on this.
That is wonderful! It is similar to a painting, in that you can go back and forth to look at the diferent elements. And all the angles and shapes, it is very clever. You should use it on your banner at the top of the blog. It is that good.
And in regards to the reduction of projects, I have found that I have done that as well. I limit my self to two books and two projects. Otherwise, something will fall to the wayside. It is good to have some perspective on how we live life, isn’t it?
I can see you have learned how to manage your interest well. Two seems like a number that would maintain sanity as well as completion. I definitely need to work on my book numbers. The current stack is too big. Thanks for the comments on this project. I need to get this done before the end of summer if possible.
This looks so rich and layered. I love the little butterfly.
When I work with children on art projects, it’s about process not the product. That’s the way it is for me too, really. Which makes me very glad to see you sharing “in process.” Maybe that’s why I have so many projects going on at once…. (And this isn’t to say that one creative approach is better than the other, probably somewhere in the middle is
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I’d give it some time, even a day. Is there a method that suits the message the best?
It really is about process for sure. I read a quote in one of my books recently that some days we love working in a certain way and other days the same format or focus is not as enticing. So, yes, I think I need to let this go for a day and turn to another aspect of this piece. So you must teach art? Now I know why you are such a creative person. It would be too bad for all of us if you only did a few things at a time. I think we all love being able to see and experience the variety of things you do.
Teaching art is one piece of what I do. I’m a teacher/caregiver for one year old children and supervise the infant/toddler program where I work. Once upon a time I was going to teach elementary, but I like the little ones too much!
I had a feeling you were in a career that was nurturing as well as creative. This spirit, your essence, shines through in your blog. I think you chose the best age of all. I think these children are a never-ending joy because of their vast learning curve as well as their immense range for discovery. And I would guess you are one of the best in your job with all your creative ideas and the churning of your own fertile imagination. I think the only hard part would be that you might become attached, and it would be hard to see them move on. But this is true at any age I would guess. I am glad you shared this, another endearing trait!
Thank you…
Yes, sometimes it is good to step away, to really see what you are doing. Sort of like not seeing the forest for the trees.
I am learning so much from you and your fellow quilters…taking photos of the process and sharing, that is so brave. I am not that brave yet…I feel OK with showing the process afterwards, not during.
Putting things in perspective…Why not share?
This is a lovely piece…I would love to read your words that you embroidered on it. The colors are luscious.
Thank you for your thoughtful words. It is funny, but I have always been shy about sharing any of my work, especially as it is developing. However, I think there is much to be said for this in terms of personal growth in your creative work/art. I wanted to start a blog for this very reason because I want to get over this fear that I have. I still have far to go, but a few baby steps are better than none at all. Really, what do I have to lose? The bloggers I have met, like you, are always supportive and willing to share. I find this such an incredible gift to my life. I had no idea I would be able to meet such a wonderful array of people. It definitely touches my heart.
Taking the trifocals off and peering at your lovely piece with my nose mere inches from the monitor does not help me see all the wonderful details. How I wish I could click and enlarge as I can on Jude’s blog. Is this possible in the future?
You have definitely touched on a problem that I need to resolve. I need to go through the wordpress tutorials and figure a solution. I will try and do this in the next few days. I know it is great to get up close to the work as in jude’s blog. She also seems to have more tech savvy than I have, but I am willing to learn, so I guess that is a positive step. Keep returning and one of these days you will be able to see without touching the monitor.
You could use a gel pen for the rest of writing, they don’t bleed like perm. markers do. Sometimes you have to go over them a time or 2, but they do work!
I like seeing WIPs during the process, it’s like watching a kitten or puppy grow. {speaking of growing, I watched my 11 mo. old granddaughter use her thumb and forefinger to try to pick up an ice sliver, she was so controlled, she could have picked up a seed bead. Amazing.}
Is the butterfly [moth?] printed on fabric or paper? I like the ghostly-ness of it. Though that description of it may not fit the “tribute” idea….
Thank you for the suggestions. I also was contemplating using a digital copy of something I design on paper and then transfer to painted cloth. I am going to let this “gel” for a few days.
WIPs are fun to watch. Having not done this in the past, only in this blog, I think it is a good way to build one’s character and confidence. I still am always a little reluctant and sqeamish, but over time I think I will be braver and more gutsy.
I love watching babies grow into their motor skills and personalities. As kittens and puppies, they are so much fun to sit and watch.
The butterfly is printed on fabric and then ironed on with that double-backed adhesive. Is it called stitch witchery? I think so.