It's A Cow

When I mentioned Riley meeting his first cows on his walk this past Saturday, I wanted to add a picture of the applique cow I did for a much larger quilt with all the usual farm animals represented.  Finally, I had time to hunt for the quilt.  Here's my rendition of a cow.   If Riley meets a rooster, some ducks, a frog, a horse or a pig I have them also.  We're out of luck if he runs into some lambs or sheep (more likely).

As I searched through the piles of work (much less than an average quilter has I am sure) I wondered if I would ever do this sort of work again.  I was asked just yesterday, how my quilting was going.  The answer was that I make a small piece every two months and that is about it.  I don't even remember the last time I worked at the machine sewing seams in blocks for a quilt.  I think it was a group lap quilt for someone undergoing chemo.  I will volunteer to sew the blocks together for this sort of work.  Otherwise, it is a job I detest.  I volunteer to do the hardest work (for me) for someone I know going through something far more difficult.  I love the "look" of piecing but I really can't stand the work involved.  I would rather do hand applique.

But, back to the original discussion I am having with myself.  Will I ever return to quilting?  Will I ever make use of the thousands of dollars of remaining fabric in the workroom closet?  Use the big Bernina I purchased from a friend?  Was my love for quilting driven by the group shows I organized?  By the group itself?  I rarely, if ever, had anything to show for show and tell as my work didn't fit with the traditional work the majority of the group produced.  My work was "too loud" (colorful) for them.  And, having gone unused for nearly four years now, my skills are non existent.  Or just different.

The Seven Year rule applies to quilting in a BIG way.  The fabrics we had to have in the past, do not interest us now.  In my case, the scrap pile at monthly meetings (or the occasional scrap bag from Kathy) was always the big draw for me.  I would find one thing that would get me all fired up to make something, finish something or just think about making something (just as valid).  A piece of black fabric found at one of the last meetings I attended was successfully bleach discharged to creamy white and used in three of my 12 by 12 pieces (still my favorites out of all of the work for 12 by 12).  The colors I own and the patterns don't excite me as much as they did when purchased.  But, new fabric has no appeal, either.  Now, if I buy anything, it is bolts of plain white.  To paint.  I still haven't tried to dye my own because solid colors do nothing for me.  I think soy batik might be fun.  Deconstructed silk screens is definitely of interest.

What I Know About Myself And Quilting (and life):
1. Motivated by personal deadlines and projects but not contests or juried shows
2. Prefer hand painted fabric with a pattern or bleach discharged arbitrary patterning
3. Hand work over machine but don't mind invisible machine zigzag
4. More of a painterly style ( which begs the question of just painting)
5. Blown away by Velda Newman's new work (huge) Zinnias.
6. Not interested in quilting as "work" (fame, teaching, selling, books)
7. Minimalist.  Less is more.  Wabi Sabi.  Zen.
8. Bored by most of what is now winning prizes and being published (exception: Zinnias)
9. Predict most famous quilters will be painters in the next 7 years
10.  The rest will enroll in Nancy Crow workshops.

I stopped being part of the Artful Quilter's Ring as there was hardly any quilt content here.  Some but not enough to qualify as artfully quilting.