So now I have all these little fabric patches that have to somehow go together. Most of the time I can see the full pattern in my head. I don't always follow traditional designs. There's that expression about 'marching to a different drummer'? Well that's me. I have to be different and that applies to just about everything I do.
I know. There are rules that have to or should be followed. After all there has to be some order and logic to things. Whenever I can get away with it, I follow that lonely drummer who rat-a-tat-tats his own beat. He's got to be hearing something different in his head to go off on his own. Do you ever wonder if he's wandering around because he has no idea what direction he's headed? The only thing you can be sure of is his having enough confidence in himself that he'll reach his destination.
I don't know either. Know where I'm going, I mean. Sometimes I get a really vague story idea in my head and I write a scene. I'll keep writing until I run out of words to explain or describe what's going on. I stay on that road until I get a stack of scenes that have no relationship to one another. Making small patches is so much easier than continually adding on to the main project. You get to a point where if you're looking for something specific it gets harder to find, the bigger the main project gets. Some-times you can get into more trouble that way.
Same principle applies to writing. When I've got lots of scenes done I like to shuffle them around to see which order makes more sense. On occasion it might fit more that one way so I have to figure out what combination will provide the most impact. I'm not into applique pieces since they pretty much can fit together only one way to create a picture. Then you have to be careful how you put them together. Can't have hints of any seams if you want a smooth finished project.
I like working with pieces that give me a choice of where they're going to go. Therein lies the challenge. When these pieces have been put in their places then it's time to build bridges. Now bridges are a nice thing to have showing. They're evidence of how I got from point A to point B. Not only that but most of the time they are quite nice to travel across since they can add to the scenery and set the mood for what's next to come. I've been known to destroy a bridge, move a patch and start again. (It's easier than frogging.*)
The last step, and I truly believe it's the biggest one, is the quilting itself. There are three layers to go through. The quilt top is the plot, the middle batting the 'filler' and the back of the quilt is what helps bring it all together. All the quilt stitching holds the three segments together, sort of blends them and makes the quilt (or story) whole. The sum of all its parts. Something to enjoy. When it's all done it's time to share it with others and hopefully they will appreciate all the work that went into your creation.
Creating something is a marvelous thing, whether it's thread and cloth, paper and ink, paint and canvas. Not everyone can write, but everyone can be creative in some form. It's a part of us that cannot and should not be denied.
*frogging - a term for taking apart a seam or section of work, (particularly in knit or crochet) better known as "rippit, rippit, rippit"
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