Thoughts
I love fabric. I always have and always will. I love making quilts. There is something about the appeal of making something beautiful, creative, and also useful that appeals to me. Rotary cutting, sewing, fixing mistakes by seeing them as opportunities...these things are second nature to me. But as a craftsperson at the Pike Place Market, I have noticed that people don’t realize the time and creativity that goes into making textile items such as quilts or crafty items made from fabric. And really, how would they? I don’t know the time that goes into items I haven’t made either. But in order to actually make enough money to justify my expenses at the market, I have been forced to be creative. This has taken many forms.
So I guess the lessons I’ve learned from adding floor quilts and drawing to my list of things I’m learning is that the positives outweigh the negatives for sure. That I’m never too old to learn something new. That learning something new isn’t always comfortable, but that being comfortable isn’t a reason to quit. And that you get more comfortable as time goes on if you persist. I’ve learned that you will never know if you like something until you try. And I’m still not sure about drawing, but I can tell you that with each class, I feel more comfortable, I feel like I’m learning new techniques and discovering my style. When my instructor, Don Barrie, told the class that drawing is something you learn and that you get better at with practice, I was shocked! I always thought you had to be born with a certain amount of talent in this area. And I never felt I had that talent. But now I’m beginning to think that maybe I really CAN draw! Or maybe I’ll learn that I really don’t care for drawing. Either way, I’m having fun trying!
6 Comments
The show runs March 29th - June 25th at the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum located in LaConner, WA! Don't miss it! Click here for more information!
Wednesdays at the Pike Place Market in January, February, and March are often quiet, relatively speaking, compared to the busier months of the year. But there are still visitors from near and far, buskers singing or playing instruments, lots of flower vendors, especially this time of year, and many craftspeople as well.
Today a jack hammer interrupted our relative quiet often. Did you know that the market is expanding? It will be much bigger very soon. More restaurants and shops, more crafts spaces, more apartments, more parking, and a beautiful deck cascading down to Seattle’s waterfront. Official opening is in June, but rumor has it that it will be opening much sooner, maybe April. We can’t wait! Come see what’s going on! Today I cut Half Square Triangles for a baby quilt as I was “minding the store” for my husband John (a blacksmith at the market) and me. People love to talk and ask questions when I am doing something like that. By the time I was packing our “stuff” up to take to our storage lockers, it was sunshine and blue sky outside. What a great surprise! And it’s about time! |
Archives
May 2017
Categories |