Creative Life Sampler

One Last History Note  (4 of 4) These are two squares from my 2016 sampler quilt. The one on the right is the original pattern from  Laurie Aaron Hird's,  The Farmer's Wife's 1930's Sampler Quilt .   On the left you see the result of not paying attention when sewing block units together.  They are made up of exactly same units... I just screwed up.  I wonder how many new patterns are a result of that kind of mistake. My last summer reading,  Soft Covers for Hard Times  by Merikay Waldvogel, gave me even more perspective on quilting history. You see, until the early 1900's quilt patterns were shared within families and communities, friend to friend, quilter to quilter, and even if they thought to name a pattern, the name would have significance to that community or region. In pre-industrialized America, a single piecing pattern could have several names. Quilt making received a creative boost in the 1920's with the Colonial Revival wh...

Sampler History (3 of 4) One of my knitting buddies just shared that she had started a new project with an unfamiliar pattern. Before beginning the full project, she took the time to knit through the pattern in a smaller portion as a trial run. She was taking part in the age-old learning method of the sampler. Assuming she didn’t pull it all out to incorporate the yarn into her project, she now has a square of this pattern. I’ve learned from my summer history reading that this is how some sampler quilts came in to being. It turns out that the sampler quilt in the form that I’ve been practicing- gathering various blocks to try them in coordinated fabrics and setting them in a quilt, might be a relatively new phenomenon. Perhaps it has gained popularity with books of pattern collections which include an example of a sampler option that incorporates all the pattern blocks in one quilt... a final “ta da!” moment at the end of the book. This sampler quilt was inspired by L...

A Knitted Sampler Built Confidence (2 of 4) At one point I ran across a compilation of patterns that my grandmother had, and I decided to try them all. Each pattern’s directions included a photo and were written so the finished products all had approximately the same dimensions. If you were adapting the pattern to a larger project you would just repeat from the beginning.  So I gathered up leftover balls of yarn from old projects and my grandmother’s stash, and I got to work on those patterns.  What I found with the more complex patterns was that you really had to trust the directions because it could take quite some time before the pattern would emerge as pictured. And you couldn’t be reticent in pulling it all out and simply starting over. The fact was that I didn’t have any other aim than to try these patterns, and perhaps that made it easier to experiment. To me, they were like puzzles and it was fun to try to figure them out. In the end I had a strange collec...

Learning to Knit   (1 of 4) When I think of knitting, I think of my grandmother who taught me this skill. It seemed to me that she always had a project going.  Looking back now, I can see that there was a rhythm in her home. After taking care of the household duties, she would retire to her chair in the sitting room and knit until it was time for the next meal or the next round of chores.  She kept her knitting needles and other supplies in the bottom drawer of, what seemed to me at the time, a very large old desk. And when she needed a new set of needles, or a cable hook, or another tool, she would ask me to get it from that big desk. I think we can infer that, if I wasn’t literally right at her knee when I visited, I was definitely always in the vicinity. Perhaps I was nagging her to put her project aside to teach me to knit. Eventually, I got just what I probably really wanted: her attention. And I'm grateful she patiently took the time to share this activit...

Create, Create, Create Together ( 3 of 3) Another advantage to creating in a group is the opportunity to collaborate on a single project. At one point in my life I taught young artists at a small art guild. One project we did involved rolling out a long stretch of paper and having them work on their section of a landscape or city scene. It was always fun to see what each child came up with and how it added to the whole. I noticed this approach in collaborating at the Quilt Con show in February. There were two quilts that stood out to me. The first was the Sew Euro Modern quilt which was produced by four quilters: one in Germany, Italy, Sweden and Austria. Their approach was to each sew a quarter of the quilt top so they had their own contribution to the overall look. They also divided up the stages of the quilting process: one quilter designed the pattern, another sewed the quarters together, someone was responsible for the backing or binding, etc. They didn't even have to b...

Creating in a Group   (2 of 3) Creating in a group can also be a catalyst for trying something new.  A few years ago a group of moms I know got together for a “girls' night out” at a local ceramics place. The management allowed us to bring in some light refreshments and we had a lovely evening catching up- a break from the hustle, bustle of busy lives.  We decided to paint mugs for our daughters and it was fun to see how each of us tackled the task. I especially appreciated the mutual encouragement in the creative process.  I've often thought of this experience when considering new avenues for creativity. Sometimes it helps to have a buddy to get over the initial hesitancy in trying something new... just schedule it with a friend and see where it takes you.

Reviving a Creative Outlet   (1 of 3) Getting together with a group of people for a creative activity can be a very rewarding experience. In the case of my knitting friends, it reactivated dormant skills which I had abandoned when we moved to the west coast where sweaters were not an essential part of one’s wardrobe. The challenge was to use my knitting skills to produce things that were appropriate for our climate and to try new stitches or new materials, thus reviving a rusty but much-loved creative outlet. This lacy shawl was knit with a variegated Patons Lace yarn, producing a striped effect in this pattern from Sock-Yarn Shawls, 15 Lacy Knitted Shawl Patterns by Jen Lucas .

Group Support for Creativity (3 of 3) One summer we realized just how many of us actually knew how to knit, and it was suggested that we all come back the next summer with a group "assignment" to create the same item. The idea was to see what each of us would come up with while on vacation. Instead, after brainstorming for a bit, we agreed to pull names from a hat and knit for each other during the year. We planned to come together the following summer to exchange our hat creations. This turned out to be a fun project. We were knitting for a special friend, thinking of their tastes and personalities during the winter months - and looking forward to being together again in the warm summer sun. The next year our group got bigger and we knitted scarves... aren't we a happy crew? We have spent many wonderful evenings in a circle chatting over the events of the day, getting caught up on a year of personal stories, and solving the world's problems, (...

Creativity in a Vacation Setting (2 of 3) For several years we have vacationed at an Appalachian Mountain Club family camp on the east coast. One of the joys of this type of summer vacation is being "off the grid" for a week; turning off the cell phone to enjoy the company of other campers and the beauty of the environment around us. But I usually try to bring a project to keep me busy... Each year is a different experience, but it is very common for campers to bring along something to occupy their hands. We've seen knitting projects, crocheted creations, a basket weaving,... an ongoing needlepoint project (only worked on during these summer vacations), ... and the staff caning chair seats for the cabin porches. There's been a model boat builder, lots of photographers, painters... clusters of  kids working on friendship bracelets... ev en boys making duct tape wallets. When you take away technology, tv and  internet, leaving people to their ...

Quilting on Vacation (1 of 3) I have been working on “Circles II”- my second wall hanging of appliquéd circles, done in the blue-green/green-blue color range. At one point, as I was sorting circles, they were casually thrown together and I thought:    “there’s the inspiration for a my new vacation project”. "Circles II" is at the point where it needs to be quilted and finished off. It was too big to take on our summer trip. So I pulled together a different color palette, pressed new circles from my dotted fabric stash and packed up threads with other supplies/tools in anticipation of some productive time between family activities. (A little hint I picked up along the way: If you are traveling by plane and are concerned about packing scissors, take a small case of dental floss instead. The edge used to cut the floss works on thread just as well.) For this project I'm working with larger blocks, and more sizes for the appliquéd pieces. Still trying for...

Summer Reading- Quilt History (2 of 2) At the start of the summer, we visited the "Friends of the Library Book Store" at a local library for some summer reading. I love to support the library in this way, and sometimes you can pick up great reads at a fraction of the "new" book price, (plus that recycling thing draws me in every time.) But it never occurred to me that people might donate their gently used quilting books; I could have saved a lot of money, if I'd run across their crafting section earlier! My first find was a book entitled Mary Black's Family Quilts , by Laura Horton, which examines the multi-generational quilt collection of one family. Since Mary's first quilt can be dated back to the 1700's, her sixteen quilts chronicle the textiles and trends of a significant amount of US history. Horton combines that history with snippets of family history and a close examination of the quilts themselves. It got me wondering what more I might ...

Learning with Quilting Books  (1 of 2) Because I love books so much, I have relied on them to open up the world of quilting to me. Once I started applying my sewing skills to quilting, I would go along until I hit a wall or was ready to try something new. Then you could find me in the book section of the local fabric store, looking for inspiration. I never bothered to take a class, I just thought I could figure it all out on my own.  But I was really under the tutelage of quilter/authors. In this way I picked up tips and skills to apply to my next projects. (Having said that, since I’ve rarely seen a skills demonstration in person, I will confess to developing some strange hybrid “techniques” that are awkward to witness... but they work for me.) I used to think that I was “self-taught” but, giving credit where credit is due, I owe a lot of my progress to those who have shared their knowledge… and to their books. They introduced me to new possibilities.

In the Twin City Neighborhoods (3 of 3) Before leaving the Twin Cities, I 'd like to say what a really cool place it is. Scattered around in neighborhoods all over you will find little library boxes in front of homes. People have decorated their own versions of these small enclosed boxes designed to share the gift of reading. The motto of this movement is "Take a book, leave a book". This appeals to me on so many levels. First the bibliophile (lover of books) in me is thrilled that people are sharing books in this way. In my opinion nothing beats holding a book in your hands and diving in to it's contents. One of the greatest gifts we can give to someone is the ability to read, which opens worlds and exposes us to new concepts and ideas. I also love that this is a part of a larger movement focused on recycling. Not only are readers sharing a good book, they are giving it multiple opportunities to have an impact. When someone reads a book an instant bridg...

Period Rooms in Minneapolis Institute of Arts (2 of 3) Of course, there is always new inspiration to be found in any museum visit. So many textile patterns and colors to bring into one's repertoire for future projects. One especially interesting feature of this museum is the "Period Rooms" scattered throughout the building. For instance, in a section featuring Japanese art, they had set up a Japanese tea room. A vintage kitchen which was innovative for its design was presented in tact. There was a section of Frank Loyd Wright's work which had a bank of windows set up as you would see it in one of his homes. One Period Room that caught my eye and then my imagination was called the Curator's Office. This was an office which was used in the 1950's but, due to renovations, had been sealed up and was rediscovered in 2011. The first thing that I noticed about this room was the filing cabinet on the left. It contained an alphabetical listing of all k...