I spent most of week 2 convincing myself it was okay to not be super productive. I need to learn to wait for the creativity to come to me and not force it sometimes. I had also been at home with my new puppy and sick kids going on 2 weeks. I was successful at enjoying the season we are in by spending some cozy evenings snoozing on the couch with said new puppy. Quilt-wise, I determined that I need to share [on social media] what makes me happy. That may be current works in progress, new finishes, or even old finishes. I also came across several other quilters who seem to be tired of the rig Amaroo that is jumping through the hoops to please the algorithm. I’m glad I’m not the only one who is fed up.
For week 3 I’m going to explore some new ideas. I’m sure you’ve had a list of things that you want to try and haven’t prioritized yet. Again, even if you can only spend 20 minutes on the exploration, give it a try. This is not rocket science, it’s quilting. Make time to be curious. Try something and mess up. Toss it in the bin and try again. It’s how we learn.
Explore a new slow sewing skill. Have you always machine bound your quilts? Try hand stitching that binding down. There are plenty of tutorials out there on the web. For me, I have dabbled in English Paper Piecing for the past 5 years and I want to try out making EPP art pieces. I’m in need of a new piece of art for my freshly painted bathroom and my budget is $0 so I’m planning to stitch together some hexis using a Connecting Threads mini charm pack and repurpose an old frame. Have you wanted to try EPP? How about hand quilting? I encourage you to find a cozy spot and explore a new slow stitching technique.
The last thing I’m going to look at this week is sustainability. I’ve always had sustainability in the back of my mind, but I don’t love the idea of sewing with repurposed or thrifted clothes. However, there are plenty of other ways we can explore adding sustainability into our quilting practice. The first, and simplest, way is to sew with our stash. We have already consumed the fabric so if we slow our consumption by not purchasing new fabric we are contributing to a more sustainable quilting practice. Piece your backings with some of those scraps you just don’t know what to do with. Look at different types of batting like bamboo blend instead of 100% cotton. Bamboo requires less water and grows faster than cotton. And have you ever felt the drape of a quilt with bamboo batting? It’s pretty dreamy.
However you choose to explore quilting this week, I encourage you to slow down and enjoy the moment. Happy sewing!
Since QuiltCon entries were submitted, it’s been a huge relief to slow down. In fact, hand work is the best way to take it slower, in my opinion. Give me my sewing room easy chair with my Daylight Slimline lamp and an audiobook, and I’m a happy quiltmaker. Bless you for handling a puppy and sick children. You deserve to take breaks. Often!