The Misfit Scraps…

I had no idea what I’d be doing when I went to my studio this morning.  Once there I looked at my worktable loaded with fabric from making Potholders and Nature Spirits and started sorting.

I folded all the large pieces of fabric an put them in a pile.  Then I worked my way through the smaller pieces.

I  put them in  piles according to size and color.   But some didn’t seem to fit anywhere. Those I randomly laid  out on my worktable.

When I was done,  I liked what I saw so I started sewing together the misfit pieces.

The only trouble I got into was when I thought about what I was doing too much.  When I finished sewing what I had laid out, I added on a few more pieces that were left over on the table.

Then I put what I had sewn together on my studio floor and looked at it.

I looked and looked,

I asked the piece what it wanted

and looked some until I thought

“big flower“.

After I found the big flowers and sewed them on,

I looked some more until I thought “blue.”

As soon as I sewed the batik elephants on, I told myself “bold and unpredictable,” that’s what I want for this quilt.  As I worked I reminded myself to resist traditional balance and symmetry, (like when  I through of  removing the elephants and putting the flowers and pineapple on both sides).

I want to feel this quilt, not think it.