May Quilting

I have been obsessed with quilts for a while now…  But I recently started my first patchwork quilt, sewing it all by hand, which might have been an odd choice – but it allows me to watch movies/TV shows at the same time so….

During my time working on my 2011 ArtPrize Project “PatchWork” — a curated mending as art collection, I was doing a lot of research on the history of mending and patchwork, and some of the best and most intriguing documentation I found was on Quilting.

Here are a couple of books I recommend on the subject.

Quilt by Ella Mae Irby, 1923-2001.

The tradition of quilting is uniquely important among needle crafts. We are born in quilts and we die in quilts, they provide warmth, comfort, and safety thoughout our lives.

I was invited to be a part of the Shared Space Studio summer artist residency by the contemporary quilt and textile artist is Eliza Fernand. Checkout her work in her current Kickstarter project.

I am really looking forward to collaborating with her!

Another quilter I am really into right now is Maura Grace Ambrose and her brand Folk Fibers. Each of her quilts is stitched by hand and she dyes a lot of her fabric herself, using homegrown and foraged plants.

Quilt by Maura Grace Ambrose.

For MUCH more quilt inspiration checkout my Pinterest board Quiltz.

Craft Through The Frustration

Photo By Britt Willis 

I’ve been feeling stunted in my creative process lately. Like everything I make is ugly or useless. It seems like when it gets to this point I’m usually about to have a break through. You just have to power through it and just keep making stuff. Don’t look at flickr for ideas (it’s a trap) you will be on the computer forever. I’ve been using my sewing machine a lot trying to get the hang of it and its driving me crazy, most of the time I just want to through it out the window! I know I have to get comfortable with it because sewing by hand is holding me back. When it comes to making things I believe in quantity not quality (seriously) the less you worry about perfection the more you make. You become good at something by doing it all the time and not giving up even when you can’t stand it, and that’s really hard! I’m trying to craft through this dry spell send my your good vibes ( ;

also Check out this tumblr. Hanging Rock Comics I am still a teenager for a couple more months….