Saturday, August 23, 2008

Now What?

I have so many little pieces of projects...things that are fun to do, but for which I have no overall plan. These items fall into a "Now What?" category and hang around on the design board, in baskets, or in piles waiting for an idea to materialize that will carry them forward. They also fall into that WIP (or WISP - Works in Slow Progress - as Sharon B. terms them) category.

Part of the reason for so many of them is that I have only intimations, glimmers of an idea and feel compelled to do something about them before they are lost in the chaos. With no clear cut direction and lots of fractions of ideas, I play a while and then abandon them until inspiration about what to do with them occurs. Sometimes it does. Not always.

An example is the strange embroidered creature holding Mila's name. I wanted to have something to embroider for times I was watching my Netflix loves (currently The House of Eliot and Wonderfalls), so I took a figure from an old journal (that I used in mail art to hold signs and dates) and set to work. Finished even. Then didn't know what to do with him.Yesterday, I used pieces of left-over borders and framed it with more color. What next? - more borders? Maybe. Still don't know what it will be. Once again, I'm faced questions about purpose, but since making the little doll quilt, I'm thinking on those lines.

8 comments:

  1. ...or a throw pillow for her bed or a chair cushion(the kids in this family love pillows) or a pillow case focal point...or the start of a nap throw for when she goes to school or visiting overnight...or maybe a tote for her treasures as she goes through her day...DD used tote I made for years that started out as a bag for her ballet and tap shoes when she was a tiny little girl...she used it well into her post-elementary school days... I bet if I looked hard enough it'd still be somewhere in her room=-)

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  2. yeah, i was going to toss out the idea of tote bag, too. my daughter saved every one i ever made her. she gets that from me - we're bag ladies of the first order.

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  3. Debby - I'd thought about a pillow (I made one for Max this summer), but not about a "nap" quilt. I like that idea, even if I don't do it with this piece, the "nap quilt" is definitely going on the agenda!

    jeanne - Totes are always good, as you and Debby have first-hand experience with totes your daughters have saved!

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  4. he looks like a mouse...i love the pillow idea!

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  5. The colorful frame is a wonderful complement to the embroidery.

    Have you considered it as a cover to a photo journal or other fabric journal?

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  6. what a sweet character....it will be a lovely accent to whatever you choose to do with it....I thought initially it would be fun to use as the front panel for a tote bag...and see it's in the list of offered ideas!

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  7. i love having little pieces hanging around....nice to have things to combine or playwith at a moment's notice. ho big is this. it would make great panel on a piece of clothing. the back of a denim jacket, the bib of overalls.or jumper....
    like the nap quilt idea.

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  8. Karoda - I don't know what he is - I think originally he was going to be a moose, but a mouse is just one letter different!

    Kim - Since I use so many brights, it worked out well with the embroidery. Oh...a fabric journal cover...another great idea!

    kimy - I still haven't decided on anything but another pieced border or two, and I'm going to have to make them as the other left-over border pieces aren't long enough for the next round. Still leaning toward doll or wall quilt at this point.

    jude - I leave small left-over border pieces pinned to the design board because I inevitably love them and want to use them again. Using some of the small embroidered pieces as clothing embellishments would be cute -- I'm certainly going to that! Some of the other little pieces that are post card size would be perfect. Thanks!

    8/25/2008 2:31 PM

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Good to hear from you!