Here's the latest progress on the piece I worked on at the Contemporary Folk Art Quilting Retreat in Sisters. I'm working on vines and playing with colors, but today, I'm not going to talk about anything technical. For some people, that's what it's all about- but not for me. There must be a raison d'être. What is the point of doing all this work, if I'm only making a decorative object? What's the message?
This quilt is about the sunny community of Sisters, Oregon. When I was getting ready to go to Sisters for the retreat, I thought about the last time I was there in July. Flowers grew, and the whole town was decorated with magnificent, vibrant quilts. My mother and I were there together. It was one of the most colorful experiences we had ever shared. She was so impressed, she's planning to come back next summer with friends from Maine.
Since I would be working on the piece in Sisters, I wanted to do something that expressed the joy of being there. People come from around the world to see the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show each summer, and the town draws many visitors for quilting workshops and retreats at other times of the year. While I work on this piece, I'm thinking about Sisters. What a wonderful place it is. What amazing experiences I've had, and what beautiful flowers live there.
the message reads well in the quilt...beautiful
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim. In case you couldn't tell, I struggle with sewing. If it wasn't such an effort, it could be relaxing, and that would be good enough reason to do it. But since even the most simple sewing tasks are difficult for me, I try to work as purposefully as possible. The whole "what's it about?" question comes from years of art school.
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