Oo-oo-ooh ... do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be, yeah!

Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comments on my last post. I really enjoyed reading every one of them!

I need to say that my 'dumbing-down' post wasn't borne of any direct criticism of my work. In four years of blogging, I've had not one negative comment about what I do. I am very thankful for that. My post was a simple response to the debate and I took the indulgent liberty of some navel gazing!

Such was the wisdom expressed in your messages, that I've pulled together a list of helpful reminders from your comments, hitherto referred to as the 10 Commandments Things to Try Hard to Remember:

1. Thou shalt quilt what makes you happy!
2. Want simple, do simple. Prefer to be engaged in the art of precision work, then do so. 
3. Those starting out quilting should be encouraged and admired for their efforts, and those who can produce a pickle dish of breathtaking precision should be held up as the artisans they are.
4. Do what you love, post how you want 
5. Your blog, your way!!!
6. Be happy and supportive of one another whatever we choose to make.
7. Quilt and guilt should never occur in the same thought.
8. If we lose sight of the pleasure quilting is, what's the point?
9. Don't ever lose the love of how seemingly disparate fabrics can come together in a dance of colours that bring joy to those who get to wrap themselves in it!
10. Who cares what 'they' think, let's go quilt something!

As I read through your comments, the overwhelming sentiment seemed to be 'do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be'. This is the chorus from a 1971 The Master's Apprentices song. Yep, I'm showing my age ... awww, I was only five! I found the original film clip, and though the other lyrics have sweet nothing to do with the topic at hand, it made me happy. So here it is. I hope it makes you happy too! 

I think I will go make myself a nice cup of tea, settle in to some quiet stitching and wait for the storm to pass! Bloom x

The dumbing-down of quilting?

This post has been rattling about in my head all day  - perhaps it should have stayed there. Perhaps I would be wiser not to buy into the debate raging in quilting circles right now. At issue is whether quilting is being over simplified to the point of sacrificing technique and quality. 

In an attempt to summarise this emotive subject, here are some of the thoughts being debated:

As a quilter, are you:

• extending your skills, or contenting yourself with simple designs?
• working with triangles? Are you adept at constructing a pinwheel block?
• sewing with a consistently accurate 1/4" seam?
• choosing your own fabric combinations for quilts, or buying pre-cuts where the choice is made for you?
• are you striving for accuracy, or disguising the lack thereof with 'wonky, improvisational' blocks?

As a quilter who blogs, are you:

• doing your readers a disservice by sticking to simple designs, focussing on quantity, rather than quality?
• glorifying the simplest of quilting achievements, in order to have your ego stroked?

As a pattern designer, are you:

• trying to make a buck from selling over-simplified patterns? 

My, what a minefield! And do you feel the pressure? I feel guilty of several of the points at issue, and I feel a somewhat irrational need to defend myself! Many of the projects I am drawn to right now are simple and understated. This is purely a result of the stage of life I am currently in. With school-age children, I simply do not have the time to pursue complicated designs or the money to attend workshops to extend my techniques. I most certainly have the desire for these things, but not the wherewithal right now. And I don't think I'm the only one in this situation!

Has this issue caused a lack of confidence in my work and whether it is blog worthy? Well, yes. I feel like I should be getting my Dear Jane out again to justify my claim as a quilter! But it is a momentary lapse of reason, to be sure. To beat myself up with guilt or to turn myself inside out seeking the good opinion of others is not what being creative, or writing a blog is about. Quilting for me is a creative release, a therapy amidst a busy life. My blog is not about showing-off or seeking praise. It is a precious way of connecting with like-minded women. 

If you'd like to immerse yourself in the great 'dumbing-down of quilting' debate, just Google it!

Hey, big spender ...

After weeks of relative restraint on quilting purchases, I have weakened lately in preparation for a flurry of creative activity (ha, so don't quote me ... lots of plans, no prospect of any spare time)! In my mailbox this week:

A soft & sumptuous 'Strawberry Fields' layer cake, by Fig Tree & Co for Moda. Purchased from Jane at the very appropriately named Want It, Need It Quilt Store. I highly recommend Jane's store for her prompt delivery and competitive Australian prices on Moda precuts. I have a new quilt planned for these lovelies.

A spring clip and chain from Marg Low Designs, to make Marg's 'Delightful Blooms' purse in this month's Australian Homespun - a perfect little Easter holiday project, that will surely be accomplished in a wink?

And a new quilt pattern from Shea at Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio, at the request of my son, who says it's very cool and wants in it exactly these colours! It is called 'Seeing Squares' and is available here. On first reading, it seems a very clever and well written pattern. I am looking forward to getting my teeth into this one. Son is even offering to learn to quilt, knowing full well how long his last quilt took me to make! Perhaps I'll take him up on it!

Hey, big spender ... S-P-E-N-D a little time with me!

Bloom x

Free to a good home

Just popping in briefly amidst helping my kids through what seems an insurmountable stack of homework and projects. If you want to know anything about the themes of the graphic novel 'Maus', or anything at all about the South China Karst or even the Taj Mahal, well I'm your girl!

Driven to drink, I am sipping a half-glass, late evening tipple of sauv blanc, and having a 15-minute surf before bed. I happened upon this little lovely:

The uber-talented Aussie stitchery designer Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly, has designed this very sweet Easter project, and has generously released it on her blog for FREE! Run, go get it here! Thank you Bronwyn, for such a perfect project just in time for some holiday stitching ... if I can just get these teachers to stop giving my kids homework!

A quick fix

There is such satisfaction in finishing a quick project. I made this little iPod case today.

It is from Janelle Wind's lovely book, 'Pieces of Me'. (There is a list of stockists of Janelle's patterns on the left sidebar of her blog).

I have used some precious scraps of Denyse Schmidt's 'Flea Market Fancy', a cobble stone print from 'Flights of Fancy' by Paula Prass, and an XLN Basics orange dot. Oh, and a very old, worn button, which I thought just sort of worked.

Now the only argument to be won is which of the three girls in the house this belongs to. I am betting on the oldest and most persuasive one - ha, that would be me!

Roast plum and blackberry cake

A sweet gem from the Sunday paper, using the last, luscious fruits of summer - a very moist and delicious dessert cake. It is a little soft for lunch boxes, although my kids didn't mind! The recipe is by Karen Martini. Enjoy!

Distracted by colour

My apologies for a quiet blog for the last little while. Life has been busy with kids' swimming carnivals, a school fete, some work days here and there, and trips to the farm. There has regretfully been no sewing time, but mercifully, some thinking time!

I have been thinking about colour. It all started here, with this Anna Maria Horner 'Good Folks' print purchased recently. I noticed an astonishing FIFTEEN colour dots on the selvedge. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this means fifteen different screens for a single print - wow! No wonder this fabric packs a punch!

I love to use the colours of selvedge dots to inspire colour schemes for quilting or stitchery designs.

Another source of colour inspiration is Color Collective. Lauren Willhite has compiled this wonderful resource by using the works of artists, designers and photographers to inspire imaginative, often unusual but always beautiful palettes of colour. Any day that you are stuck for a new colour combination, you are bound to find something to enliven your senses at this site.

image source

You can waste a whole lot of time over at Kuler, where there are endless colour schemes to fire your imagination. Under the 'create' tab, you can upload your own photographs and Kuler will generate colour palettes to match. You can even choose a 'mood' for your palette from colourful, bright, muted, deep or dark.

For colour advice, specific to quilters, there are some great posts written by bloggers to refer to. My first port of call would be the queen of colour herself, Rita at Red Pepper Quilts. Rita has written a wonderful post called Colour in quilting in which she advises to take time to notice colour in the everyday.

Jeni, at In Color Order, is writing a brilliant series of posts called The Art of Choosing which deals with fabric and colour. She has lots of great advice about choosing and organising fabric, based around principles of colour. Pop over to Jeni's and feast your eyes!

And just for fun, here's what happens when colour, a bookshelf and someone with a whole lot of time collide!

Imagine doing this with your fabric stash - how fun! Have a great week,

Bloom x

Something for Kate!

The 'Little Menagerie' has been tamed into a quilt top.

Photos shot very glamourously against the garden shed!

That's the easy part done. Now ... to the quilting!

(Pattern is my 'Abracadabra', fabrics are Melanie Hurlston's 'Little Menagerie', against white solid).

The 'eyes' have it

I did my darnedest to resist, truly I did. But every time I walked past these fabrics in my local quilt shop, they were calling my name. Those sweet elephants, their innocent little eyes coaxing me, "Come on Bloom, you know you want to" ...

What is it with the eyes? The owls too have that pleading look, "Hoo, hoo, take me home ... take me home"!

And the monkeys? Well, who could resist such cheeky smiles!So try as I might, these cute creatures have charmed their way to my place, destined for what will hopefully be a busy weekend of sewing. They are from Melanie Hurlston's 'too cute for words' range, 'Little Menagerie'. Melly, you do 'eyes' way too well - I'm sure there's some subliminal messaging going on!

My plan is to whizz these up into a little 'Abracadabra' quilt for a new niece.

Comfort

Dull, rainy day ... hot scones and homemade crabapple jelly - life could be worse!

Needless to say, I didn't have to go to work today! Scone recipe here, and crabapple jelly recipe here.