Author: Nanette

I ran away from home last weekend, but only for a day. It has been a long time since I’ve been to a quilt expo, especially one the size of QuiltCon. Presented by the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG), Quiltcon is considered the largest quilting event in the world and this year it was held in Raleigh, NC  which is just an hour drive from my home. I’ve heard about it over the years, but it was never an attainable opportunity for me. Last weekend was the exception.

It is hard to describe the energy and enthusiasm that fills the convention hall. The MQG has a style of its own. They are mostly pieced designs with dense quilting. Not something I do, but definitely I can appreciate. I took several pictures of quilts that caught my attention. I posted 2 here that really made me think. The elephant was displayed in the “youth” category. I don’t know how old Tucker is, but my goodness his elephant is fantastic. After all the hand stitching I’ve done lately, the small piece by Jessica Rundlett really caught my eye. Her geometric design is created by hand and machine stitching. The precision she has with drafting the straight lines demonstrates so much patience.

After seeing the work of all these talented artists, I was inspired by their dedication to produce their concept. I think that’s where the energy and enthusiasm filling the expo comes from. It is good to be alone and focused on our art, but we also can get stuck in our heads. Being around other people with different points of view, can trigger ideas. I believe that even if you can’t get to a big exhibit, it is important to step out and look what’s happening around you in your local art community. Maybe consider visiting a local quilt or art show, I bet it will give a kick to your creativity.

I’m in a phase of wanting to use and repurpose things I have. Two weeks ago, I shared how I was working on a 100-day stitch challenge and set restrictions that I would only use materials that I had on hand. There will be no purchasing any other products for this project.  I’ve also been creating fabric postcards which are made from repurposed scraps from my quilted projects.

I use to be a traditional quilter and made my quilts to specific dimensions and then quilted and bound them. I still do that occasionally, but usually my art quilts are made larger than the finished design. I either piece my fabrics or start with a whole piece of fabric, then create my design on top. After creating the design, I’ll quilt it with the batting and backing, then cut it to the finished size.

The trimmings from the quilt are waste, but I hated throwing them in the trash. So I saved them. After a couple years of saving (hoarding?), I came up with a way to repurpose them. I cut the quilted trimmings into strips and randomly piece the strips together into a rectangular shaped block. Once I have enough of these patched blocks, I cut them into 4 inch by 6 inch rectangles, which I use for the background of my fabric postcards.

Sometimes, I create practice quilts and occasionally there are “failures” where I just can’t save the design I was working on. I use these larger pieces for my postcards, too. I might hold onto them for a few years hoping I can save the project. Eventually, I’ll decide I can’t save it, that’s when the rotary cutter comes out and I chop it into strips for my postcards. It takes a lot of guts, but I like that I’m repurposing the trimmings and “failures.”

At first I just used the “postcards” for my own personal gifting and thank yous. This past year I realized I had so much of this patch-worked quilting, that I decided to make the cards available for sale on my Etsy store.

It feels good to let go of things. Although, repurposing has always been an important part of my creative practice, for some reason it feels more important this year. Maybe I’m just feeling the need to let go of the extra weight that appears as clutter in my life.