I've couched the metallic yarn onto my quilt now, using a free motion zig zag stitch and invisable thread in a spiral. With the velvets and layers, the quilt is heavy and quite unwieldy to work with and coupled with maneuvering the yarn as I stitched, it's not surprising that the spirals are uneven. I feel a bit in over my head with visions of what I'd like to accomplish that are not quite within my technical reach. I found myself wishing for a 'Stitching Fairy Godmother' who would magically appear and show me how to do the quilting/couching so that it came out to my satisfaction. Some of the velvet pieces haven't remained fused and I will attempt to iron them down again, but if that doesn't work I may end up sewing around edges with invisable thread. I notice feeling discouraged and having catastrophic thoughts such as 'I'll NEVER be able to do this - I might as well give up making art quilts'. I also know that I've been here before and have gotten through to the other side, and even though I can't feel it yet, I imagine I will this time, too. Forging new territory takes courage and is challenging - and the payoff is growth. This realization is right in keeping with the name that I've chosen for this quilt: 'Expansion or Contraction?'. The choice is mine.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Expansion or Contraction?
I've couched the metallic yarn onto my quilt now, using a free motion zig zag stitch and invisable thread in a spiral. With the velvets and layers, the quilt is heavy and quite unwieldy to work with and coupled with maneuvering the yarn as I stitched, it's not surprising that the spirals are uneven. I feel a bit in over my head with visions of what I'd like to accomplish that are not quite within my technical reach. I found myself wishing for a 'Stitching Fairy Godmother' who would magically appear and show me how to do the quilting/couching so that it came out to my satisfaction. Some of the velvet pieces haven't remained fused and I will attempt to iron them down again, but if that doesn't work I may end up sewing around edges with invisable thread. I notice feeling discouraged and having catastrophic thoughts such as 'I'll NEVER be able to do this - I might as well give up making art quilts'. I also know that I've been here before and have gotten through to the other side, and even though I can't feel it yet, I imagine I will this time, too. Forging new territory takes courage and is challenging - and the payoff is growth. This realization is right in keeping with the name that I've chosen for this quilt: 'Expansion or Contraction?'. The choice is mine.
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