Monday, February 21, 2011

I knew this about myself, but I have just come to accept it again. I simply cannot string piece unless perhaps in retreat circumstances where some 'no brainer' work might be best. I can knit and get into the rhythm of that and often don't need even the TV. I've heard some say they enjoy the rhythm of string piecing and the hum of the machine but it is most often work for me.

When I started blogging, I really didn't think anyone but a few friends would be reading it. I thought it would be a wonderful way to keep a journal with pictures that I could look back to. Recently, I've realized that I do have some readers and so, I started to feel a little pressure about what I get done.
My interests are diverse and from the beginning I have written that I want my blog to be more about the process than the finished product, so I reminded myself about that this week with my new project.
The most efficient method would be to cut all the pieces and to sit and string piece, but I just can't work that way. I like to ponder over the colors, cut several blocks, sew them, and put them up to admire. Maybe I'll pull a few more fabrics together for next time. Then I might switch tracks to something completely different. It's probably the ADD.
I'll take a break and then after lunch I'll switch to some sketching. Today, I did some loose sketches of red polls with color notes, transferred some to tracing paper, and then went rooting for some fabrics. I'm tired now and will stop to rest and read for a while before dinner. My energy is much better that last week, and I am definitely better, but I'm still congested. What I've been doing is putting heat on the pain, breathing in steam from hot water with essential oils of eucalyptus and tea tree oil. It seems to loosen things up . Then I use the puffers. Perhaps, tomorrow I will trace some of the birds onto the fusible web and try a few on some background colors. I  can get quite absorbed in that process.

2 comments:

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I don't always cut everything at once either. It is more fun to pull combinations that work and piece them right away. Sometimes I'll cut lots of parts and then match them afterwards. It is fun to just play at it whatever way works.

imquilternity said...

It's wonderful that you have found a way to work that feels good for you. That's what has taken me a long time to find. And, then give myself permission to feel good about. That's the beauty in quilting, knitting, and any other creative endeavor we try, right?