When I first began stitching on cloth, I heard this expression more than once….not everything is a masterpiece! It is quite a humbling statement and one that keeps this artist from taking herself too seriously. It has been however, quite a long time since I have had to repeat this phrase…until today.
It all started with my deciding to re-purpose an early work! I pulled out a quilt from my stash, which I had created from a whole cloth, designed in a Kerr Grabowski workshop. While I loved the cloth and the subsequent quilt, it was one of those that never seemed completely pulled together.
So I over-painted it, heat set the paint, and brought it up to the studio where it sat around for about six months. A month or so ago I decided I should make some work about living with (a partner with) Parkinson’s since that is my daily life. It was a brilliant idea as I had a drawer full of sorted and color labeled fusing scraps.
So the first Descent piece was designed, stitched and turned out marvelously well! I am not posting a full-view now as it has not been photographed yet! I thought if one turned out great, then let’s do another.
This time I grabbed two early quilts; one a traditional Rob Peter to Pay Paul small purple and orange quilt; and the other a much faded rose block quilt of 9 blocks. I sewed them together, then took downstairs and over-painted purple. It was really stunning, as the orange poked through in various places!
I cut and fused the design and began the stitching and subsequent procrastination set in! All these rainy days and I just could not seem to get going on the stitching on it. I finally started in the center and all was well in the world until I got to the seamed portions where the two re-purposed quilts abutted. I was trying to stitch through at least 8 layers of cloth, including batting, and the Juki was having none of it. I tried several times, coming at it from different angles, on different days.
I began to think that huh…maybe I could just cut this up and make smaller quilts when I have to donate something! And then I remembered...not everything is a masterpiece! At first, I ignored it, as I am likely to do, until my shoulder began to hurt from trying to force it through the machine. There it was again….not everything is a masterpiece! And then I got it. It was perhaps the most liberating thought I have had in days!
My first clue on this particular piece should have been my extreme procrastination in working on it! Being a high energy person I often have several things going on at once; either mentally, physically or both. I’m currently working on two artistic projects, taking care of my hubs with a debilitating disease, volunteering two days a month, walking myself and the dog for our cardio, overseeing all the home maintenance, including water seepage into the basement as a result of our two weeks of the atmospheric river express (after five years of drought.) So maybe when I am feeling so overwhelmed by a project, it might just be a great idea to pay attention to that.
What will become of it? Who knows? Who cares?! What I know for sure is letting go of this one is liberating. Now on to something fun!