The two comments below are from a couple of weeks ago.
They prompted this thoughtful and wordier-than-usual post.
ONE
"Honestly, Julie?!
Do you EVER make the quilt you set out to make???
(Secretly, I think you may be onto something with this one,
as it's starting to look more Julie-ish.)"
from Joy of The Joyful Quilter
AND TWO
"This is beginning to feel like a Netflix series! LOL
(I like to watch those.)
Now I have no idea what the end product will look like!
Interesting."
from Pamela of Sewing Up My Fabric
* * *
I am well aware that my process
is different from that of many others.
I embrace that uniqueness fully.
My guiding words for 2019 have been
WONDER and SHOSHIN.
Partially because of our three-year-old grandson
who reminds us daily to experience the world
with an open mind and fresh eyes.
And also because there is so much good
to be felt and shared
despite all the bad news that surrounds us and
threatens to swallow our spirits in one big gulp.
I started blogging to share the GOOD things in my life.
That is still the primary focus of this blog --
along with sharing my process and its results.
I started out like so many with a
beginning machine piecing class at a local LQS.
That first class (Rotary Cutting 101 as I call it now)
taught me the fundamentals.
Looking back,
it also taught me a great deal about
what I did NOT want to become.
My second class was a full week at JCCFS
with a woman in her 70s who was teaching
for the last time after 35-plus years.
I came home from that week knowing
that I was absolutely a scrappy quilt maker;
that I could use my digital camera to take process photos
and then freely rearrange blocks on the design wall
without losing my earlier ideas and layouts;
that I could indeed make a quilt with
my own interpretation of the original layout;
and that there were NO quilt police.
I am so grateful I spent that week with Miss Catherine (RIP).
Shortly thereafter I discovered
the world of online quilt blogs and
my burgeoning independent streak
was nourished on an almost daily basis.
I found Tonya's Lazy Gal blog
(later the UnRuly Quilter)
and through Tonya's posts
I discovered Gwen Marston (RIP)
and the wide world of liberated quilt making.
And my quilting life has never been the same.
" . . . Liberated quilt making was coined in 1990
to describe new improvisational methods
of making quilts that involved free piecing
rather than using templates."
" . . . It's a way of working that is
intuitive and improvisational . . .
" . . . from the thesaurus: making do, inventiveness,
ad-libbing, making it up as you go along,
extemporization, winging it . . .
" . . . begin with the seed of an idea,
plant it, and let it grow."
(Gwen Marston in Abstract Quilts in Solids, publ. 2008)
And then there are the friends and mentors
I've made and met through blogging --
I won't name any names here because
the list is so long I'm seriously afraid
I'd forget to list one of you.
Adding in your inspiration and encouragement
continues to expand my world of possibilities.
Is it really any wonder that I use these
four words to describe myself as a quilt maker?
Scrappy -- Colorful -- Liberated -- Eclectic
* * *
This quote sums it up so well:
Quiltdivajulie
24 comments:
I so love the way you work through the process of making your quilts! Such a great inspiration to us all! Reading through your posts is often like taking a mini quilting class in 'doing our own thing'. Love it!!
I, too, love watching you work through your quilting designs and that you share the process so freely. It’s always inspiring and interesting to see how and why people change their work as they develop their vision. Thanks for sharing this history of yours.
I had to get a laugh out of that squirrel picture and then to see that you had quoted me! LOL The picture was perfect! Also, that was a nice summary of your quiltjourney up to this point. Thanks for sharing.
What a roar of laughter exploded as I began to read your post, Julie. Thanks for calling me out and sharing some background on your process. Speaking of process... Yours is still a wonder to me, but I do LOVE the fact that you allow your quilts the time and space they need to grow and change into their true selves (according to your ever-changing vision for each of them.)
Love this. Love you, too.
Fabulous post! Our styles are often very different, but you ALWAYS inspire me!
Well, the squirrel picture had me at first. If I just looked at the pictures, I would laugh. If I just read the story, I would cry because it is painful to always be searching for a way to work and process all life throws at you. But because I read the whole post together and I read your blog always, I smiled at all you have learned and shared. I am a better quilter because of you. I just can't get where I need to go- I can see it, but not figure it out. Thank you, Julie!
Well said! I definitely enjoy watching your process. So different from mine, but I always learn something from you. Your quilts always turn out bold and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this post.
What a great post! Shoshin reminds me of a Mary Oliver quote that I have on my wall. "Instructions For Living A Life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." Thank you for telling about it.
aweeeeeeeee that was a wonderful post. I love the little weeble and it's sewing machine... where in the world did you find her?? I want oneeeee. Your grandson is full of glee... yes seeing the world through his trusting learning eyes must be affirming. Seeing it now through my older, slightly jaded and maybe sad eyes is less enjoyable. As Groucho Marx would have said, "fetch me a child of three!" (when told a child of four could fix something, he said then fetch me a child of four!"
I always enjoy watching your work in progress - love the scrappiness and the explosion of color. Keep on sharing !!!!
I love your post today. Thanks for sharing your journey and the insights to your style.
Absolutely loved this post! I am finding my way with my own quilting style, and I am inspired by the quilters I have discovered that are of the same wavelength - independent, innovative, expansive, and happy to share with others. I have participated in numerous online and in person BOM to bring my piecing skills where I want them to be in order to expand my own horizons. Love your quilts and your posts. Thanks
Great post. :-) You've spoken for all of us who have traveled a similar path.
Even though I'm not a regular commenter, I have certainly enjoyed seeing your work. I think I discovered you via a linky party. It was fun to learn a bit more about you from this post. Thanks for sharing. Your work is inspiring.
Great post, Julie, and I couldn't agree more with your approach.
Each of us following our own path but still connected.
I LOVE this post! I think there are a lot more of us like this than each of us realizes.
Nothing to add but what has already been said except that I am so glad I "met" you back in 2009. We are two peas in a pod.
hugs,
Lynne
Oh my gosh! I so love this post - I love to read about the positives and the things that make others happy. and I learn so much from seeing how others think - your color process and your organization inspired me all the time ( even tho I tease you and inspire to be more organized) ... Keep it up - keep looking thru fresh eyes!!!! Hugs to yoU!!
Great post, Julie! I, too, learned liberation from Gwen and also Ricky Tims, and color from Joen Wolfram. But I think I have learned the most from observing what other "ordinary" quilters are doing with what they have on hand.
Julie, your quilts are always gorgeous, so make them or remake them as many times as necessary. They're not what I would make, but they're not my quilts! Maybe that's why I like them so much-- they are a true expression of their maker. What else can one hope for? (Great picture of Little Man, too!) Happy stitching. Or restitching-- whatever it takes!
Sensational post from you Julie, sharing your thoughts and some of the history behind your quilting journey - what a pleasure to read that you will continue on in your inimitable style! I was overjoyed when I first found your blog and continue to be so each time you have a post come up. Your darling grandson has such a wonderful smile, a happy little boy.
Wow! How liberating, what glee, to find a quilter that I'd like to be. Off to quilt.
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