What a crazy day! A sick cat in the morning (necessitating a visit to the vet - cat's having an adverse reaction to new medication but is okay), work on the PROJECT (it's looming, at least in my brain, hence the capitals), quick trip to the quilt shop (longer because I had to sit and chat with good friend and first quilting teacher, Karen), and then out to dinner (such good food and great conversation at the home of another first quilting teacher, Pat). As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, my first three quilting teachers were at the dinner. Karen taught me the Beginning Quilting class that got me started, Pat was my first applique teacher and convinced me it really was for me after all, and Mardi was the one who turned me into a paper-piecing fan. Add two other gifted quilters and it's no wonder it was such a good time. That puts the day in perspective for me and makes me realize it wasn't such a loss. The project (back to lower case again, a good sign) will get finished, and it will probably do better for sitting quietly in my brain rather than under my busy, sometimes frenetic hands.
Many times I've been asked where my ideas come from, and I usually find myself at a loss to explain it. People tend to look at me in bafflement after I attempt the explanation. But the sentence about the project "sitting quietly in my brain" in the previous paragraph explains it best.
Those of you who have been following the McCall's Quilting Design Star Contest may remember my initial entry, "Jack's Wild Ride". It was springtime or early summer 2010, and friends and I had been talking about Halloween. I remember saying, "I have an idea for a Halloween quilt." No one was more surprised than I was when that came out of my mouth, but I knew there was the germ of an idea in that brain of mine. Leaving that "germ" alone to percolate in my head wasn't a conscious decision, I just went on about my daily life. Later in the summer, I decided to draw it and did so. I knew it wasn't quite right so I went out and bought one of those big, easel sized newsprint pads (the drawing pad I had was only 9" x 11" and how could I even see what was there?). That's all it took. Jack sprang forth as if he had always been there and was just waiting for me to provide him, King Crow, Frankie, Bobby, and Sally as well as the town with the correct "canvas".
The inspiration for Miss Ruby Takes a Walk was a bit more mundane. I like words, and I'm familiar with plants and plant names. Knowing that there was a plant named "arrowhead" and seeing the plant in the block set me searching for a possible "shoofly" plant. Once I found it, I was set. Originally I thought I'd use yellow as my popping contrast color but found it too Easter-eggish and too cloying for my needs. That turned me to the red-orange in the quilt. So what was I going to do with red-orange in the last arrowhead block, the one with the applique flowers? I remembered taking a walk with the science teacher on my middle school team and seeing a black newt with yellow spots. Again the magic happened, and Miss Ruby just walked in.
When I can, I will tell you about the origins for the current Challenge. This much I can say. A chance sentence led to my response to the task we were given.
For me, it seems that words and/or chance experiences coalesce in my mind and, given time, form images that rise when needed. So when asked where I get my ideas, I say, "It was just in my head." Go figure.
How do your creative ideas come to you? Leave me a comment about your experiences.
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