After generations of teaching this technique it would be easy to see the perfection in these blankets but there is a tradition of purposefully weaving a mistake into each one. This is to appease the Spider Woman and to live a life in balance. The legend states that a Navajo woman, Weaving Woman, became a little too enamored of her weaving gift , and as a punishment disappears into her loom, redeemed only when the supernatural Spider Woman pulls out a strand to release her. Since then, all weavers have promised to make "spirit trails" in their blankets, and not to allow "pride to become master of our spirits." Instead of simply studying this legend, I need to take it to heart. When I think of perfection in quilting I think of the new Gammill Long arm machines that have the computer program. I know that a quilt that is quilted with this machine is perfect. There are no flaws. It is a perfect 12 stitches an inch in perfect symmetry, and it is not human. We have learned to achieve perfection and it is no longer our art.
She was amazed at the mistakes. In her minds eye this was a quilt to aspire to and it was anything but perfection. Life and beauty can be found in the mistakes. So toady I keep in mind Jane Stickle and the generations of Navajo as I quilt and learn. As Scott Adams, the creator of the comic Dillber says ~ Creativity is allowing yourself to miske mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~
My morning trip to Starbucks has brought me to today’s post – It was all the yummy pastries that did me in … Honey Buns, Cakes and yes even Jelly Rolls. I am addicted to Moda’s Bake Shop. This is the brilliant idea that Moda has come up with. They take a given fabric line and then cut the line into 2 1/2 in strips, 10 in squares and various other shapes. While it has taken me, the perfectionist a little time to find the “perfect” layer cake pattern there is a site that I have fallen in love with. It is www.modabakeshop.com this site is a plethora of ideas and uses for these treats.
My favorite so far is this Easter basket pattern.
The best is that they are all free, and you don’t have to use the Moda fabrics. These patterns can be adapted for any fabrics. If you are so inclined to start a project using Moda Bake Shop I urge you to start shopping for you Jelly Rolls on E-bay. I generally find mine for under $20 with shipping, a far cry from the usual $35 that I have seen them for in my local quit shop, plus there is the added bonus of winning something at auction!
I am currently working on a project for my sister from a jelly roll. It is a lone star pattern from the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.
Linda has tried in vain to stop me from purchasing any more books or patterns, I love em and this book is a great investment (used on amazon, save that money for fabric!!) if you find you are loving the Jelly Roll addiction! I do have one beef with here and that is the random switch back and forth from metric to standard – It is confusing…. At one point it called for 3m (meters) of fabric – and although I was stationed in Germany the only thing I had to relate to was a meter of beer!!! So I am off to enjoy a no calorie jelly roll this morning and will hopefully have something to show tomorrow! (besides a messy house!!!)
Good Quilting to you today!
There are so many things that I turn to gain inspiration in my quilting. So many of them are visual, the wildflowers in Texas, and the beauty of the beach…. But every so often Im so lucky to be blessed and touched by a person. Linda is one of those people that was placed in my life to give my inspiration and encouragement and I was so blessed to meet another one this past weekend. This past weekend I met Jerry Callender. www.jerrysfabricarts.com He is an avid car (mustang) fanatic and quilter who has only been quilting for a couple of years. I absolutely fell in love with his quilts. Not only are they done with the utmost passion and love, they are so out of the box. Jerry just lets himself go and feel the quilt. Most of which are done for cancer patiets like the one pictured below. There are no patterns, no exact measurements just a vision. He has inspired me to stop feeling like my quilts have to look like the pictures. I can and will start thinking outside the box. I am going back to school this fall to finish my graphic design degree. Thank you Jerry for letting me know you can start at any age and follow your heart!!!!
Jerry and one of his T-Shirt quilt for 7 year old Logan, who is dealing with Ewing's Sarcoma
