Trying

I’m still unpacking and trying to organize my new studio space. I’ve unpacked enough that I can actually work on new projects. The next few months you’ll see more flurry of activity as I prepare for an art exhibit in June. Flipping through pictures last week, really pulled up some ideas.

It also stirred up ideas for thinking outside the box. A number of years ago I visited a surplus sewing supply store. These places are fun to rummage through because you can find some fun items at very low prices. Sometimes in order to get the item, you have to purchase it in large quantities. That’s what sort of happened with this flowery trim. It was cheap and I figured I could use it somewhere. What I didn’t know at the time was where I would use it.

After I bought it, it sat in a drawer for awhile. Then while working on “Stump’d” I decided I needed some tiny nature-inspired elements, like mossy earth (painted cheesecloth) and little flowers. I could possibly make the flowers with 3-D thread painting, but that’s a ton of work and uses lots of thread. Then I remembered the trim. I wondered what would happen if I painted the trim with acrylic paints. Success!

After the paint dried, I cut the trim into little painted flower elements and sewed them on to my quilt. Super easy. Did I know I could do that when I purchased 50 yards? No! That’s the fun of creative play. Be open to taking something and making it your own. The only way you’ll know if it works is by trying.

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