Self-Portaits

Yes, I know this is a quilting blog and pictures of the quilter aren't always part of the package. But today's post is about me, so a picture of me in my natural habitat seems appropriate.

This weeks marks the culmination of a lot of effort on my part to realize the life I want. I don't have that life yet and, to be honest, I wonder if I ever will. This week definitely marks my intentional movements in the right direction. Yet it isn't about milestones or defined marks of success, although many of those are there. Rather, it is about my perspective and attitude towards my life.

Long, long ago it became very clear to me that we get out of life exactly what we put into it. I was surrounded by some very irresponsible people. They whined and bitched about how their lives sucked. Any outsider could see that aside from the odd bit of bad luck their lives sucked because they let them suck. They made choices or a series of choices that put them in crappy living situations, bad relationships, or uninspiring jobs. I wanted to scream at them that they'd brought most of it on themselves, but I, more than anyone, knew that was pointless. So instead of trying to change their lives, I decided to change mine.

I'm not going to say that it's always been sunshine and roses and every single thing I decided to do worked out for me. I've made bad choices, Hubby and I have questionable timing with some decisions, and more than once I've been plain wrong. Regardless, I own those choices. They were mine to make. And in the end I've always made it work for me.  Why?

Because we are the sum of the choices we make.

And lately I believe I've had every right to whine a little about a lot of things. And I have done so. You get to the point though where even you get tired of your own whining. Instead you pull yourself up, maybe slap yourself in the face, and decide to change the way you are reacting to the things you have no control over. Because that is where your character comes in, in how you choose to respond to the world around you.

In the midst of all these platitudes I do have a point. My choices of late are leading me to live a truly creative life. From the activities I do with my kids like this and this, to the professional decisions I am making. From the projects I tackle, to the goals I set for myself. And this week I took another step in that direction. I really can't tell you how I feel about this other than to say I am beyond excited and damn proud of myself and my partner in the adventure.

And so what if my house behind me is chaotic and messy? I am happier, my kids are still full of joy, and my family is stronger.

Fabric with Weight

Progress on a quilt! Trust me, this is momentous news lately. Hubby has been out of town a lot, I've had some writing deadlines, and Quilt Canada is now a month away.  Things are busy! But we had a low key weekend and I squeezed in some sewing, during naptime of course.

This is the start of what is currently being referred to as my Slaveship Quilt. I promise I will get a better name in time. These strips have come from this pile of indigo fabrics. Oh, I heart these indigo fabrics. These are designs that are well over a century old, but some of them are so bold and modern today. And that indigo is melting my heart.

It wasn't until I started cutting into them that I realized these were real Da Gama fabrics, imported from South Africa. Suddenly the fabric had more weight, and the project took on even more symbolism for me.

Yes folks, I would say that I am making my first art quilt. With every step, from inspiration to design to sewing I feel the importance of each decision. There is a reason to everything I'm doing. So not only do I intend to have something beautiful simply to look at, I hope it is something meaningful and symbolic too.

(My nature is to suddenly retreat into something self-deprecating right now, but this project doesn't deserve that.)

This is a multi-step design and who knows whether I'll finish it this week or next year, but I hope you will enjoy the process as much as I will.

Friday Favourites - Quilts of First Quarter 2010

I heard back from a lot of you in January that the round-up of my favourite quilts was something you wanted to see more of. I've decided to do this every 3 months for you. Even then it is hard to narrow it down!

The Selvage Quilt by Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studios

Selvages are something that I now cut off and set aside - to giveaway. I have absolutely no motivation to make a selvage quilt myself. Even after seeing this one, I still don't want to make one. But I can look and admire the quality and beauty of this quilt.  Great job Jacquie!

Hideaway Quilt by Jess at Urban Patchwork

There are some lovely, lovely quilts on Jess' site. Simple and graphic.  You see similar quilts around, but there is something about the way she places just that one extra bit of fabric or a carefully chosen binding that elevates her quilt above many modern others.

Katie Jump Rope Quilt by Andrea at Millions of Thoughts Trapped in My Head

If you've been reading me for a while you know that I'm generally not a fan of quilts made entirely from one fabric line alone. But I adore what Andrea did from her inspiration - a drawing and design by her son.  How cool is that? And a nice break from her year of solids.

Boardwalk by Latifah at I Dream of Quilts

White binding. White binding on a multicoloured striped quilt.  Need I say more?

Kelpies by Digs at Digs and Beans

I'm glad I'm not the only one who puts quilts in her office.  At least it doesn't seem odd when you work in a crafty kind of place like Lark Books.

Off Kilter by Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts

Okay, so a slight bias here. But I had to share one more finish from my quilt along. I know many of us miss Amanda Jean's blogging, but you can keep up to date with all her work on Flickr. Thank goodness!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour.

What Does Modern Quilting Mean to Me?

Over at The Modern Quilt Guild this week they've had a series of posts from some significant bloggers in the the modern quilt movement. I've rather enjoyed the conversation, so I decided instead of just commenting on all the posts, I would create my own post. So, what does modern quilting mean to me?

Central to modern quilting, I believe, is the idea of Freedom. Unlike traditional quilting which can feel very restrictive in both construction and design, modern quilting is about freedom. Freedom to throw tradition out the window or tweak it with fabrics, layouts, and improvisation. Freedom to try something new in colours or construction. Freedom to do what you want without fear of the quilt police knocking down your door.

Improvisation is also central to modern quilting.  This doesn't just mean the wonky log cabin. Improvisation is about starting a quilt and seeing where it goes, without a detailed plan. Maybe you could also talk about process here.  When I was asking you about The Whys of quilting, process was something that was central to me at the end of that discussion. I think modern quilting stresses the process as much as the final product (regardless of your technique) and improvisation is central to many a modern quilter.

Even when a modern quilter is using calm colours or simple designs, The end result is always something quite bold.  It might the fabrics themselves, or the final design, but when I think of modern quilts, subtlety does not come to mind.

I know that there are many traditional quilters out there under the age of 40. And there are modern quilters out there over the age of 50. But when I think of modern quilting I tend to think of youth. Perhaps it is because there is an energy to the work and the movement? It might be because most (but not all) of the bloggers I've encountered are closer to my age than my mom's age? But that youthful enthusiasm and energy has, I think, a powerful influence on the quilting world as a whole.

It would be remiss to not mention the role of technology in modern quilting. I don't just mean the design software. Blogs, virtual quilting bees, Flickr, and Etsy are all having a powerful influence on quilting. Have you heard of Web 2.0, where we the readers are also the content providers and help determine the present of the internet? Well, technology has allowed us to have Quilting 2.0 as well. Not only are we connecting and working together in a way that wasn't possible beyond the traditional guild, we are also working with each other projects, lending opinions through workshops and our blogs, and generating a never ending cycle of inspiration.

Finally, I want to highlight, that for me, it is important not to throw out the baby with the bath water. That is, there is a lot in traditional quilting that shouldn't be thrown away just because we like a modern aesthetic. This includes basic technique - we still want a quality piece at the end, not just one that looks good in a small on-line picture.  It also includes colour theory and design basics. We're modern and it is up to us to push the boundaries a little. Like modern architecture though, the building still has to stand on its own.

In a somewhat contradictory twist to this conversation I will be attending my first guild meeting tomorrow, a traditional guild. I'm quite excited about it, and it seems that this guild has some modern tendencies and vibrant members. With The Modern Quilt Guild springing up across North Amercia, maybe one day there will be a Calgary chapter?