The creative urge

I always wonder how everyone else is spurred on in their creative pursuits. I see a lot of beautiful loveliness out in blog land and it amazes me how some of you just manage to churn it out, sometimes in bulk. Now I get bored very easily, which is why I only manage to make one of each at a time. I’ll probably not have a “real” etsy shop either, since I get a thrill out of giving away the stuff that I make…but let that not be the last word on the subject.

Crafting is very similar to painting for me. I take much care in the choosing of fabrics, in the same way I choose paint colour. I love colour and the busyness of patterned prints. Sometimes the fabric jumps right out of the pile at me, wanting to be made into something, or as in the case of this quilt I’m piecing (yes, its still happening), the pattern itself appealed.

I learned how to sew on one of those ancient treadle machines, you know with the big wheel that you need to spin to get it going. We used to finish everything with a French seam, because overlockers (or sergers) were unknown, or too expensive. By the time I got into my twenties, I was making clothes for myself, the most ambitious being a dress for my high school formal and a single-breasted blazer made out of Kenzo fabric from my mum’s collection.

So where am I going with this?

Most times the compulsion takes me and I don’t know what the end result will look like. It may have been spurred on by a passer-by’s dress, a cushion in a shop window, a geometric shape, a particular colour or even a painting seen in a museum. The painting may inspire a pillow or a bag or a skirt. It’s organic.

For me, the bliss is in the making and the finishing. The stitching, the cutting, the painting and the piecing is like a mental nirvana. Its very zen! The world slows down and nothing matters except the stitching, the cutting, the painting, the piecing. Then the anticipation of the finished piece takes over and once its complete I feel giddy just from the thought I made something pretty. This is the feeling that gives me a high. This is the feeling I chase after each time I create. Not very unique, I know, but I just wanted to share with you my process.

By the way, as you can see....I'm shopping my stash again. I seem to be unwittingly collecting pink fat quarters of 1930s reproduction fabric....and check out the cute animal panel fabric I unearthed from my mum's fabric stack. Also seen is my latest japanese craft book score from our local Kinokuniya.