Creative Free Time
Good Morning, Quilters!
Do YOU give yourself creative free time?
Do you take time to play with your supplies and materials without following a plan?
No?
Neither do I…
at least not often enough!
Last week, I needed a little hand sewing.
I hadn’t been in my sewing room in awhile…
I bet some of you know that feeling!
I started with a linen quilt sandwich and added hand stitching.
The idea exceeded the result…
The next day I added a little machine quilting with 30 wt Sulky cotton.
Now I think this experiment has merit…
Love the linen.
Love the combination of hand and machine quilting.
and
I loved playing without a plan!
What about YOU?
Do YOU take time for creative play?
Have any of your experiments turned into a big project?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
My play experiments are called UFO”s…LOL… years of them…not only in quilting.
I decided to actually do something with them. It hit me they were taking up space I could use for something else, valuable storage real estate. Here is the new plan.
When I come across one, it goes to top priority for that day or the next, I have stopped staying up all night because I was “on a roll.” Accepting my stage of life
was key also…I would rather the rest of my years be filled with items that will be useful and pretty for whomever (whoever?) inherits them.Usually I give them away.
Also when I come across a UFO, I am now to decide would it be better for me to finish it or GIVE it away to friend or thrift shop! My new plans are making the playing more fun now. And the plan is working.
Although my recent experience isn’t my play time – I think it still applies to today’s theme. My daughter was looking for something to sew and play with. I had a “few” UFOs that I offered her – she picked some blocks for which I had lost my vision/passion. Now we both feel good about them; I got to see a UFO finished and she has the creative satisfaction of putting them together with her artistic vision! I’ll ask her to send to you a photo of them.
Love it!!
A great & creative idea Pat.
There are times when you pick a project because you NEED to play. I am working on a row by row, This project has been a playtime experiment and I am having so much fun with it.!
After seeing a tutorial for a funky pincushion the other day, I made one for a friend. Quick sewing/ quilting projects keep me sane. Sometimes, I just want to play in my studio, even though I have several tops to be quilted and pieced!
Me too!!
Love this idea! By the way, have you mentioned a source for your linen? I am having trouble finding some in my small town.
I bought mine many many years ago. The store isnt there any more.
Hi Lori – I definitely recognized the motifs from your craftsy class I am enrolled in. So this was a nice way of seeing more uses of the motifs. I inherited a small box of linen fabric and put it under the bed as I have run of room to store even one more piece of fabric. Your blog inspired me for a future project. Play? Well let’s just say, I start out with a general plan. I use panels that I inherited and then work them into the quilt either by applique or by adding sashings and cornerstones. With each step of the plan, I find myself re-adjusting the plan so to speak. And then the project becomes a as-you-go project. And sometimes, it really goes in a totally different direction than planned. Most times the outcome is better than what I had in mind. When this happens, I let the creative process take over and trust that it will lead to a better outcome. And I usually end of learning a lot of lessons in the process!
A friend gave me a box of various cotton fabrics bought from a charity shop. The fabric had been fussy cut by the original owner and I have made at least 4 quilts from the different fabrics. None were planned but all ‘happened’ with the help of my sister. We threw the fabric on the floor and let our creative juices do the work until it ‘spoke’ and from then on it was easy to make something unique and fun from more fussy cutting, scraps and just playing – very therapeutic and oh so rewarding.
What a fun way to work!!
My “play” is making Kids Komfort (charity) quilts. I use it as a way to practice my new skills. And someone benefits from my “quilts full of character”!
Hooray!
Love the linen and the red hand stitching combined with your machine quilting motifs.
Looks Scandinavian.