Around the World Blog Hop

 

Ailsa at Cape Pincushion tagged me for the Around the World Blog Hop! Thanks, Ailsa! (Go check out her blog, she does lovely, lush patchwork.) I have to admit I wasn't sure whether or not to join in this Hop. Then I read the questions for us "hop-pers" to answer & my doubts disappeared. I love probing questions like these, not the what's-you-favorite-color kind, but the real, what-makes-you-tick kind. Not only do they help others to better know you, they help you to better understand yourself.

So here goes:

• What quilting/sewing thing am I working on?

Where do I begin? It might be easier to tell what I'm *not* working on. This year I'm experiencing a sort of Quilting Adrenaline Rush! All I want to do is cut & piece & quilt. I have a spouse, home, job & cats who would all suffer if I indulged myself as I wanted, so I am not able to devote every moment to quilt making. When I do get into my sewing space, I am going in many directions. But to specifically answer the question: I'm quilting a gift for a friend's birthday & working on several small gift projects. I have 5 (!) stacks of blocks & block parts that I am dabbling at & I'm eager to begin quilting my dotty 16-patch.

• How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I feel most closely aligned with the Modern esthetic, but because of the youth of many of the Modern Guild's members & because of my lack of youth, I sometimes feel marginalized from it. My stash is deep, so I use fabrics not usually considered "modern", I think this makes me different from the Modern mainstream. I'm not just talking about the charm of vintage fabrics but also those just old enough to be stodgy. Don't misunderstand, I definitely buy new fabrics, but I love blending the old with the new, I think it makes for a more timeless quilt. For some time now, I've been using the cloth from clothing in my patchwork. It began with memory quilts from family clothing, but now I am as happy buying 'fabric' at the thrift store as at the quilt shop.

• Why do I create/write what I do?

Quilt-making is more than a hobby for me -- avocation, passion are better words. During the years of my Mom's decline, then death, quilt-making was a balm -- restorative & healing. Even now, it is my calm center. I quilt & I blog because I have to. Sometimes I think I might burst into flames if I didn't sew or write about my sewing. Crafting & sewing go back to my childhood, they're in my blood & bones. The writing is fairly recent, since I began my blog -- oh my goodness! -- almost 4 years ago. Blogging may be dying, but I really like writing mine & find writing it helps me think more clearly about my quilt making. Also, because of blogging, I've made some real connections with friends I've never met who live Around the World.

• How does my creating/writing process work?

Most often, my quilting begins with a piece of fabric. Less frequently, I begin with a sketch or pattern. Whether it is finding a design for the cloth or cloth for the design, for me, that is the most joyfully fun part of making a quilt. I am process- rather than product-driven, so it isn't about The Quilt, it is about Making The Quilt. As for writing, I find myself mentally writing all the time now -- sort of narrating my own story to myself.

Now to pass the baton.
I'm passing it to YOU. If you have read these questions & my answers & have begun to ponder your own answers, then you have been tagged. Blog them if you like (if you do, link back to me, please) or just keep them in your head -- though I have come to believe there is value in actually writing them down.