Back in 2017, Joe Cunningham (AKA Joe the Quilter) visited International Quilt Museum with his improvisational piecing techniques and it was really so much fun.
I take classes like this to expand my creativity and to get inside the minds of other designers and artists. If I end up with a quilt, so much the better.
I’ve discovered that creativity needs to be fed. Creativity has an appetite. It can be more voracious at some times than others, but we shouldn’t ignore its need to be nurtured.
Show and Tell can feed your creativity. This is Karen with her 365 finish at my retreat last fall.
Here’s an example: You attend a quilt show or a guild meeting with show and tell. You see some quilts you love and you snap photos to help you remember. You’re inspired to start on something new or get back to something you put aside—all because you gave your creativity a hearty meal. Sound familiar?
I recently discovered a new source of quilty “nourishment” I want to share with you. It’s a website called Issuu where magazines and books on assorted topics are published. You can look at them for nothing. It’s totally free. Here’s one example (click near the center to make it full screen, click escape to return to normal view):
When you put “quilt” into the search field, interesting things pop up. Take a peek at the British magazine Quilt Now.
Search “quilts” and you get a completely different set of publications. “Quilting” yields yet another batch. I love being able to peruse the pages with no commitment. I don’t have to buy or subscribe or give out my email. I just get to enjoy!
Some of the fabric companies publish their lookbooks on Issuu. It’s a way to see what’s coming soon to local quilt shops. I’ve been enjoying catalogs from Riley Blake. There is so much variety.
At the back of the lookbook are quilt pattern ideas from the designers, which are intended to show how the fabrics can be used effectively. There’s a lot to learn about color and value in those pages.
Pop over to issuu.com when you want to browse something quilty.
I’ve been thinking about play.
I’ve been visiting my daughter and her family in Hong Kong, where they work at Hong Kong International School. The lower primary school finished a new building over the summer.
What is knocking my socks off is how the educational areas of this building are designed for children aged 4 to 7, and it’s all about play.