Show and Tell

I have always liked show and tell in school.  You were able to see what other kids got as gifts; maybe see a pet or two (usually turtles or lizards) and hear stories.  I still like show and tell but now it is with fiber. We have show and tell in the quilt guild meetings, in our fiber artist group, and with the sampler group I belong to at our local quilt shop. It is a way to see what other people are working on and hear the stories behind their projects.

In our sampler group, I like to see how quilters arrange the same blocks I am working on.  It gives me an idea of how to arrange my blocks or even some blocks in a future quilt.  With any show and tell, I learn about new techniques or new patterns I might like to try. I am always learning about weaving styles in our fiber artist group.

And I love to hear the stories behind whatever is being shown.  It might be a funny one about how they started this or that years ago (like a baby quilt for a niece who is now having a baby of their own) or a project someone started in a class or at a retreat.  That always makes me want to take a class. 

I think though my favorite part is seeing the pride in the person’s face that is showing their work and especially if that person is a new quilter, weaver or artist and they hear the praise from other more experienced people.  It is such a vote of confidence for them. I tried to cheer louder for a newbie.  It takes a lot of guts to show your work when you are a beginner.

If ever you get a chance to show off your work to a group, do so.  You might be inspiring some one else and it is always nice to hear the applause.  And if some is showing you something they make, always applaud.  In showing what they are creating, they are showing you a bit of themselves.

 

©2020 Cheryl Fillion

Community of Creatives

Quilting bees were common in colonial days.  Groups of women getting together to sew and quilt bedding for each other.  It was a time of companionship but it was also a way for them to teach and encourage theirs and each other's creativity.

These groups act as cheerleaders, pushing and encouraging the members to do what they want to do and, as with many dreams, what they need to do.  They help with brainstorming for solutions to problems such as where to get affordable supplies, how to barter work for training, where to display work, who to meet to achieve one’s goals.  They are there to cheer great successes and soothe the lesser successes (I don't like the word failure.).

You don't have to be working on the same type of creativity.  I can get just as much support from a painter or a writer as a quilter.  And you don't have to be at the same point in your creativity journey.  In fact, it is helpful if you're not.  The novice can see their future better with someone who has been creating their dreams for a longer time, and the experienced dreamer can be reminded of how far they have come.

You just need to meet once in a while and dream together.  Meet for coffee if there are just two of you or meet in a more formal setting if there is a group.  Allow each person to share their triumphs and disappointments, and allow the other members of the group to offer ideas.  Sometimes it is fun - if you can do it - to create together.  Plan a project together like a collage or just bring what you can work on and dream and create together. A recent memory I have of time with a fellow creative dreamer was the two of us finishing a baby quilt for a charity while talking through the snags in each of our very different dreams.  

 There is no reason to go at this creative journey alone.  Get together a group. You do want to make sure that the people you invite to your group are not the critics or just plain negative people.  That will just undermine what you are trying to do.  Make one rule of the group to be that even if you don't understand or enjoy another person's creative passion, it will still be treated with respect.

Don't miss the joy of a community of creatives - find or form a group.

© 2016. 2020 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Daily Art

A couple of years ago I came across an idea of challenging oneself to do a little piece of art every day for a year.  Recently I have found a similar idea of stitching a tiny picture on a piece of fabric that represents each day.  I decided this year with a new decade I would try it.

Now the challenge for me is not going to be thinking of a picture or motif, but actually doing the stitching.  My needlework tends to be put aside when I get busy with school or the quilt show or other of life’s activities.  So this year I am going to challenge myself with my embroidery.

The ideas I have read about had to do with embroidery but any art would do.  You could sketch or paint something each day.  Take a photo.  Write a daily poem.  Or you could even make a little sculpture.  The idea is doing something every day.

Another important thing here is not to make them too big or elaborate which would take a lot of time to do the art.  You want it simple and small depending on what you are doing.  Some embroidery or drawing that is just a couple of inches or smaller, a quick photo of a flower growing between sidewalk panels or a poem of 3 or 4 lines.

The first thing is to decide on a medium: painting, drawing, embroidery, etc.  Then maybe the size you want.  Since I am doing embroidery and my little pictures will probably be less than an inch in size, I decided on a circle divided into 12 wedges, one for each month of the year.  I thought if it was divided up into section and I just concentrated on one section at a time, the whole project wouldn’t seem so overwhelming.

Then think about whether you want a theme to your paintings, embroidery or writings.  You might do something in nature, or animals, or just anything that pops into your head?   I am going to see what comes up each day. 

I am adding a couple of rules to mine.  One, to do my best to keep up but understanding that life may get in the way.  And know that my idea of how I plan this may change if I think of another idea of what to do or if it becomes too difficult to focus on a year at a time.  Which is another thing, if you like the idea of daily art but don’t think you can commit to a year then try a week or a month and see how you do with a shorter time frame, it is after all your daily art.

So all this was to share my challenge with you.  I am going to try to stitch something everyday that might represent that day and see how far I can go.  Here is what I have so far.

©2020 Cheryl Fillion