My periods of artist block are few, far between and rather short. I am fortunate that way. However, working out how best to quilt the background of Out of the Ashes proved to be a real head scratcher.
When I am stuck with how to quilt a quilt my go to methods are to:
- Look at what I have done in the past;
- Peruse the internet for ideas;
- Doodle ideas; and
- Switch to some distraction in hopes I will have a Eureka moment.
Whenever an idea has merit I make sure I can doodle it as a continuous line. Next I test drive it off quilt on a sample. Let’s just say I went through many wash, rinse and repeat cycles over a period of days, not hours before I settled on this motif.
Ah! Breaking through an artistic block is like sinking into a hot bubble bath. Well at least until my inner critic takes over. I’ve learned to shush her somewhat. When you are nose to needle every flaw is magnified. Step back and let time go by, a miracle occurs. The flaws become less glaring or invisible. Not that different from life’s journey where one gains perspective in hindsight.
I am linking up with Nina Marie’s Off the Wall Fridays.
