Insecurity and a need for reassurance are traits I judge myself harshly for. Of course, they are a normal. They do tend to rear up whenever I am in the thick of creating a piece, even when that piece is coming together nicely. Creating Turbulence is going slower than I estimated. This really isn’t a surprise. I ALWAYS underestimate the time it will take me to make a piece. What is clear, is I am making progress as you can see from the following photos.
Despite what I said in the opening paragraph, I really do enjoy the process of making a quilt like this. I struggle far more with conflicting responsibilities that keep me out of the studio, than I do with studio time. It is in my studio, immersed in the process when I feel most centered. So why feel a need to rush the process. Instead I will embrace the slow, steady pace.
I am linking up with Nina Marie’s Off the Wall Fridays.
I’d love to see a quarter put next to your work so I could get a reference for size. To me it looks quite small. I admire your patience, a virtue I have never had despite my mother’s best efforts.
I’ve spoken with my Director of Photography, aka my husband, and he has agreed to include a measurement reference next week. When done the piece will measure approximately 40″ H x 24″ W. So, yes, many of the pieces are tiny. Would never approach something like this except by paper piecing. Should my next piece be similar, I think I would make it at least 50% larger.
Honestly, it doesn’t feel like patience when I am doing a process I love. Precision piecing is my go to technique in during times when I could use a reset.
I’m glad you told us the size. I know that paper piecing makes even teeny, tiny sections possible, but it is still tedious. I haven’t done any paper piecing in years, but I did enjoy it when I did. Your progress is impressive.
I really need to do a better job of restating the finished size of Turbulence. Each full diamond block finishes at 10″ H x 6″ W. Just one diamond block as 65 pieces. Insane! Especially, because I struggle with needing to reverse everything for piecing. Thank goodness for EQ8. I print out each block twice. First, as it will appear on the top. Second, in mirror image. I lay out my fabric in mirror image face down. Once a segment is pieced, I lay it face up on the first front facing copy. The more I do it the easier it gets.
I enjoy, even relax doing work like this. I realize many others would run for the hills rather than face such a daunting piece.
I too am glad you referenced the size of the expected piece. I just took an online webinar/class with Joe Cunningham — who uses “chunks” of fabric cut at similarly odd angles. However, he doesn’t work with a plan in mind. I made an “angled” piece that is interesting, but it was a real challenge. Joe was aiming for 36″ square; mine is about 15″ square. The entire process was rather exhausting for my brain, so I can understand why you take your time with this! At a faster pace I would indeed “run for the hills”!
Intuitive (no plan) creation is a struggle for me, Margaret. I’m happy during the process, but have yet to create something that appeals to me after it is made. When we first started sheltering at home, I binge watched (if watching one episode a day counts as binge watching) Crafts in America. This is relatively recent series on the Public Broadcasting System. One of the episodes includes a segment with Joe Cunningham and his relationship with the Gees Bend Quilters. Those quilters and Joe have very similar ways of working. What is relaxing for one person’s brain is exhausting for another’s. The trick is to find what works for you, but to also push past your comfort zone periodically, shake things up. Seems you are doing a good job of that.