Patterns and Creativity

Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics

16 July 2012

In your opinion, do quilt patterns limit creativity?

This open query was posted on the FB page of a group I follow. As I commented in an earlier writing I will   be ruminating on random such comments when they spark deep musings on my part.

 

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The definition of a "pattern" is: A plan or diagram used as a guide in making something. A representative sample; a specimen.


I believe patterns in and of themselves have little bearing on a person's innate creativity. They can provide a framework - like the basic structure of a house. Block patterns give you the basics of construction, what size the pieces should be and occasionally in what order the pieces are put together to facilitate a block's construction.

For beginning quilters a pattern provides a comforting starting place. Technical information that lets them become more comfortable with a process, shape or technique. It can also show them how the graphics of a block in relationship to each other changes depending upon how they are placed next to each other. For example - the Log Cabin block which depending upon it's placement next to other blocks create vastly different final patterns such as Streak of Lightening, Courthouse Steps or Barn Raising.

 

 Where I find creativity runs into roadblocks are:

* Through the quilter themselves and their own lack of confidence. they don't trust their own vision, sense of color or interpretation of something "traditional".

* The "Quilt Police" = There are a LOT of people I have run into who insist that their way or opinion is the only one that is acceptable. These people - who very often lack imagination or creativity themselves - will do and say things in order to try and break the spirit or experimentation of another. They try to make everyone conform to their particular idea of what is "correct".


The item I see in many quilt and fabric shops which I do find to be detrimental to a quilter developing her own creative identity or "voice"  - are Kits. Kits that don't even require the creator to cut out their own fabric pieces since that has already been done for them - as had the selection of colors and specific fabrics. 


For me this is as non-creative an endeavor as building a model car or doing a jigsaw puzzle. Neither of which are bad hobbies - but let up not pretend that either is teaching you how to create the item from scratch for yourself.

Just because I wasn't hot enough .....

So, it has been uncomfortably hot and humid for the last week or so. Yesterday was icky hot and humid, to the point where you have rivulets of sweat running down the small of your back and all you want to do is take a long cool shower. Today was more of the same, and the coming week is supposed to be worse.

So - what does a Lioness do?

Find a lake or other body of water to hang out in? - Nah.

Hunker down in front of a fan and drink your volume in water and iced tea with a good book? - No.

Perhaps hang out in my first floor studio where it is cool and dark? - Nope.

No - What I decided is that heating up my kitchen with cooking corn relish and tomato sauce then canning them.

Yeah - I am fairly certain I have lost my mind.

Yesterday I ventured out to one of the few local farms where you can still pick your own raspberries. Most of the local farms have gone to selling them only - and of course the cost is almost double that of doing it yourself. But while I was at this farm I noticed one of the girls who work there culling overly soft or older heirloom tomatoes out of the for sale baskets into a discard bucket. She said they give the old and bruised produce to some local pig farmers. I wistfully mentioned how they would make good sauce .... hearing this her manager said "She can have them if she wants for 1/2 price"

BONUS! Great tomatoes and a sale price. Was there any way I would actually turn that down? I think not.

Then on the way home I stopped by my usual farm and bought freshly picked ears of corn, sweet onions, peppers and parsley. So on today's agenda was Corn Relish and Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce.

Normally I don't do this kind of heat intensive canning until the Fall when I take an entire weekend to make my jams, compotes and applesauce using fruit I have prepped and frozen during the summer., or the apples I picked and stored for up to two weeks in the basement. However sweet summer corn has a short shelf life and the one time I tried freezing tomatoes and using them later for sauce yielded a weak and watery end product. So I have found you have to use these ingredients as you get them.

Sample of ingredients for Corn Relish

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce

Corn Relish in Process

Blending the tomatoes in bathces

One way to combat the heat is to turn down the AC then set a box fan in front of the floor vent in the kitchen to increase as much as possible the flow of cool air into the room. And it seemed to work as I did not pass out - and I actually finished the canning.

Ta Daaahhhhhhh!!!!

Theda and the Flying Squirrel

Okay, I had another weird brain glitch the other night that I thought I would share just for a laugh.

A good friend posted this on her Facebook page:

Quote:
So what does the P_____ clan do when it's 102? GO to a Flying Squirrels Baseball with Lori M. and crew. Why? Cause it said "Go Nuts" so we thought they were calling Us home~ (that should give Honeylioness and A.J. plenty of material for the evening.)

And here was my response .......
When the temperature’s high
And the family is bored
Then off they will fly
And join a great horde

Of Acorns and Walnuts
Pecans and Brazils
All gathered together
To watch Flying Squirrels

Bring water and sunscreen
Your camera and cell phone
Surrounded by other fans
You won’t be alone

The benches are metal
In the sun they’ve been baking
So be careful when sitting
Or visit to ER you will be making

Go cheer for the Squirrels
Those cute little rodents
‘Cause those who love you best
Already know that YOU’RE nuts !!!!

My contradictory relationship with bugs

Bugs are everywhere! I suppose it is a good thing that we are normally unaware of just how many bugs we live with on a daily basis, otherwise I for one would be too freaked out to ever sleep or walk outside my home.


Bugs make up more than half of all living things in the world. Today there are more than a million known species of bugs and there are many more waiting to be discovered. Scientists estimate that at any given time there are up to 40 MILLION insects in an area the size of a football field.

We as humans have decided that some bugs get to be classified as "beneficial", especially those that are pollinators or prey on less desirable species. These include bees, ladybugs, mantis and lacewings. 

It also includes spiders. Shudders. I have very strong feelings about arachnids. Very VERY strong feelings - most of them not all that positive. Though I think we have come to an agreement.

In my garden I understand and can even appreciate the benefits of spiders - preying upon and eliminating some of the more annoying other insects like mosquitoes, ants and flies. I have even come to terms with those that occasionally want to set up their webs outside my kitchen window. I realize that for them it is a good strategic move as the light from inside attracts flying insects into their webs. 

Big spider on the RIGHT side of the window ... OUTSIDE !

However if any insect ENTERS my home then all bets are off - full scale warfare will ensue. And I am not ashamed to boast that in the end I always win.

For the last couple of years there has been an issue with ants. These are not the tiny "sugar ants" that I remember my grandmother having to deal with - no, these are large black ants that crunch loudly when you step on them. For the past several years I have transitioned all the food storage in my pantry to either glass or heavy plastic containers. Finding you have to dispose of several pounds of brown sugars and cereal because of invasion is not something I want to go through again.

I have complained to the Association about these buggers. Because these insects have NOTHING to do with the cleanliness of my kitchen - these are Carpenter Ants. They are feeding on wet and rotting wood of the structure - most likely the sheeting of the unit side facing the main street. We have had problems there before. Additionally, workers have found significant wood damage from ants in all the trim boards. I have placed industrial strength insecticides into any nest openings when I can find them. I was assured that they would have a professional spray done this year - but not sure if/when that was done.

So until I get an answer or resolution back from the Association I guess I am fighting this particular battle by myself. Good thing my Arsenal is stocked. I just DARE any critter to cross this line of death ........

Quilts as Art or ???

Often postings, comments or questions come across my radar through one of several online message boards or forums I subscribe to which really trigger a strong reaction in me. This is occasionally a negative response, but more often what happens is I feel a need to really dig into the idea and really express my feelings and thoughts. 

This question was posted to a group's Facebook page on July 10, 2012:

Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics

Like if you agree: “When a quilt is moved from a bed to a wall it becomes a piece of art. Something to look at not something to use. Untouchable. Higher.”

57 People "Like" This

Response 1: Melissa J - Who says "art" has to hang on a wall? Do you have to remove a quilt from it's function to appreciate it's aesthetics? No. Absolutely not.

Response 2: Carola K -I don't agree! Art can be on beds, on walls or elsewhere. And quilts can be art - or "just" quilts. How do you define "art"???

Response 3: Melissa D (aka Me) -I don't agree either. In fact I am not pleased with the recent trend of those who only define or make quilts to hang on the walls like a tapestry. Yes I want my quilts to be lovely - but once they get larger than 40" square I also want them to be USED.

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After I wrote my response above I realized I had a lot more thoughts about the issue than I had time or space to vent in the small space given originally.

Merriam-Webster defines a "quilt" as:

 a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth filled with padding (as down or batting) held in place by ties or stitched designs

This is the traditional definition. The one I understood to it to be when I first learned to quilt. In fact, when I was first learning I thought that quilts were hung only for shows. I didn't fully realize that some quilts were made specifically to hang on a wall.

Don't get me wrong. I have made quite a few "wall quilts" myself. I have a collection of them that I rotate on a regular basis in my Dining Room and office space. But they are made small in order to fit a specific space. I have nothing against small quilts made for this purpose. Among other things, it lets me try a variety of different techniques and patterns without the commitment of a King Sized quilt.

But there is now an entire new group of items called "Art Quilts". And there are several large groups of quilters who identify themselves as Art Quilters. One of the larger groups is called the Studio Art Quilt Associates's . Their website lists the definition as:
 

SAQA defines an art quilt as a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends.

First off - am I the only person who thought that definition/statement could not have been vaguer or more pretentious? Perhaps it is just me. Perhaps I am missing some type of specialized art appreciation gene. Because 90% of the time when I see "art quilts" find it difficult to see past the "What the ....?" factor and see the workmanship. But then I do not really see the appeal in most "modern" art. I have no appreciation for Pollock, Lichtenstein, Warhol or Mondrian.

Getting back to the original query though ... does putting a quilt on the wall suddenly change it to "art"? And why would the assumption be that they are now "untouchable"? I don't want any of my quilts to be labeled "untouchable". I want people to touch them, appreciate the texture of the different fabrics or embellishments. I want my larger quilts to be snuggled under on the couch, make you feel cozy curled up in a chair and used to keep you toasty during a winter's night sleep.

I think I may need to do another post just on the issue of appreciating the artistry of "regular" quilts and their makers.

The Unfinished Quilt

I have more than a passing acquaintance with UFOs. Not the sort navigated by grey skinned aliens headed for Roswell, but those projects which we all have regardless of whether we talk about them. Quilts started in a class or after picking up that new pattern at a show. Maybe we just experienced the creative nudge to try something different so with great anticipation off to the fabric store we went in search of the “perfect” material from which to construct this next great masterpiece.

And yet – there they sit. Perhaps on a shelf neatly folded, it’s fabric and instructions wrapped around the partially constructed top. Maybe stuffed into a box and slid out of sight under a work table or buried amidst an avalanche of fabric swatches.

Recently I resolved to face these incomplete projects with objectivity and new eyes. I would not bow to the feelings of guilt for not having assembled them fully or lament the funds spent on their components. Instead I would try to see the reasons behind these undone objects and then take action.

The first bundle I opened was a collection of fabrics and a few blocks tied together with a strip of muslin. At one time a friend had commented that instead of a bug jar quilt I should make one for myself with fruits and vegetables. How did that comment become “I MUST do this” in my head? The colors don’t appeal to me anymore and would look garish in my kitchen. I placed the bundle into a bag – I will post on the Guild’s message board that it needs a good home. I am sure another member will be thrilled to get them. More bundles emerged into the light: these colors were wrong, the baby I intended this for is now nine, I never did like this technique / pattern / fabric.

I did find two projects that still sparked my interest enough to finish them, so I have freed them from the back of a shelf and into baskets next to my desk. This weekend I am going to work on one …. unless I find a new pattern at a quilt show.

I love kaleidoscopes

It is one of my favorite "toys"  - and has been since I was a kid. Even now I can spend an embarrassing amount of time just turning one of these tubes and watching all the new patterns emerge. It still seems almost magical and the patterns that form are somehow made more special because of of their fleeting existence. Even if you reverse the turn of the kaleidoscope you don't get the exact same design.



 These are two of my favorite kaleidoscopes at the moment.

The one on the left was acquired at a Tiffany exhibit gift shop several years ago. I especially like the richness of the colors within the beads and other items enclosed in the black end of the tube.







 These are just a few samples of some of the designs I got with a few turns of the black end of the tube.


It really makes me understand the recent fascination with trying to re-create these type of designs in fabric via Kaleidoscope Quilts.







The smaller object on the table above is not actually a true kaleidoscope but is called a Bug Eye and is a toy usually seen for sale at Science or Nature Museums. It is just a small wooden holder for a faceted dome of glass that acts like individual prisms. The difference is that it is completely optical. 

By looking at an object through the Bug Eye you get a multiple fractured image. I have used it in the past to see how a single quilt block would appear if multiples were made and set side by side. Or you can just get a cool look at a petunia on your back deck.