Quilting affords opportunities, over and over again, to pull pieces together, and to fragment them. Every morning lately, I work on ‘Ghost House’. If I think about it, I would get overwhelmed. But if I look at one little strip and piece it, I make progress.
For a sense of scale, the felt-covered pin board is just over six feet tall.
Yesterday, I pieced up the house, in order to help me finish the edges. Sometimes you have to work in the center in order to figure out the edges.
When I pieced the house, which was mostly done, I made the decision to piece the window into the body of the house (previously, I had thought I would applique it). And now, it does not look like a window at all. Changes such as these force either acceptance or re-working. I often accept, and not just out of laziness.
Quilts this size go through so many phases. Sometimes, a section will assert its independence. I call these ‘rogues’. This can be out of frustration — one way to create a finished product from an endlessly unfinished piece — or, it can be the fabric telling you something.
I don’t need to decide anything about this square today. It works on its own. And, when it’s on its own, the indigo strip that I dipped (on the right) assumes a little more importance.
My hunch is that I’m not going to let this rogue get away!
Then there are ‘spin off quilts’ – little assemblages made from scraps lying around. Not rogues. More like ‘issue’. They are generally characterized by an effortlessness that is in striking contrast to the larger piece. Yesterday, a little spin off arranged itself (nearly) on the worktable. I have my recently dipped indigo scraps to draw from as well.
In other news, the heat continues here without respite. I am spending money to keep various sections of the yard wet and cool for the birds. We are supposed to get thunderstorms later, so I will run my errands early.