Work In Progress

Funny that I should start this blog, celebrating things that are made by hand, at the exact time that I decide to take a break from sewing and creating, to get my mind together. I recently dropped out of my Honours degree in Art History in order to reconnect with my creativity.

I spent ten years at art school, making and painting and drawing, and by natural progression I ended up in the theory department. I adore art theory, I love to write, and an intellectual challenge is always welcome, but this last year, I have had itchy hands. I just wanted to go back to making things, and give my brain a rest. 10 years of study is a huge amount of time! So now I am taking a well-deserved break, and though I am absolutely planning a million projects in my head, it's very important for me to ensure that my work space is organised first, and that I take a rest from all plans in order to recharge my batteries, and get back my motivation.

I do, however, have a work in progress....

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make a patchwork quilt from scratch, the old fashioned way. The whole process seemed so daunting, until I decided just to start making the paper pieced sqares, one by one, and stashing them. No pressure for completion, just a few squares every now and then. Also, my fabric stash isn't huge, so everytime I pick up a new fabric, I make sure to make a few squares out of it first.

With a bit of sewing in front of the tv, and just a few squares here and there, I suddenly looked at the stash the other day, and it's HUGE! 116 squares already, and I've barely even noticed making them. BRILLIANT.

They are all bright, mismatched, predominantly vintage cottons, and hopefully, one day, they will be made into a something gorgeous. Like a quilt, perhaps? Now I just have the sew all the bloody things together! HA!