Well, I survived my patchwork class. I even came out of it without tears (there were just the two swear words uttered) and I brought home two squares stitched from a pair of triangles each.
We got homework!!!!!
I was wiped out after class. I haven’t felt like that since I was learning Calligraphy many years ago. The level of concentration (for me) was intense and the pace relentless. We didn’t even get a cup of tea!
EDIT: the scariest part was the use of the P word and the I word. Precision was never my strong point, I’m your naturally gung-ho slapdash kind of a girl. As for *r*n*ng. Yeah. Right. I think I have an *r*n somewhere but I can’t recall the last time that I plugged it in. Sheesh. Nobody said that there would be *r*n*ng!
I plan to persevere: to learn these basic techniques and to make the class project (a cushion cover) and I will carry on to a project of my own just to prove to myself that I can beat this thing and to explore my own creativity within it. But, honestly? No, I don’t see me taking it up long term. Give me two long and not-sharp needles any day of the week 🙂
It’s not that I don’t see or appreciate the work that others put into their patchwork. Truly, I stand in awe. I recognise that is something I could never do – to put that amount of concentrated work and dedication into a project, it simply isn’t within me to do that.
The thing is – to me patchwork is somewhat like crochet. The final appeal is insufficient to drive me towards learning to do it. For example – I like the fabric produced in knitting. I dislike the fabric produced in crochet – I’d never wear a crocheted item, ever. So, I don’t do crochet, because it offers me no joy. Similarly, I can admire the craftsmanship, but I’d never want to own a quilt. I think, to me, patchwork quilts are museum and exhibition pieces.
My challenge now is to change that mindset. I need to find something that excites me and makes me want to progress, if only for a short while. The making of my own patterned fabrics and construction of something possibly freeform and organic from those does whisper to me. It’s not a loud call yet, but there’s something beckoning. I know it is going to be a fascinating journey, even if it terminates in a cul-de-sac. I will at least have learned something new, also have learned something about myself and my internal processes, practised some self-discipline (I need that), and possibly have acquired a small work of original art…. or a duster… in the process.
In Knitting News – Blink is giving me some grief and I have decided to rip it back to row 44 and go with the pattern as written. There’s something just not clicking in my brain and I find myself completely unable to adapt the pattern to suit the width that I want. So we’ll have a long Blink instead of a wide Blink. It’s going to take a blinking long time to tink back from row 60, that’s all I have to say at this juncture.
Depressed? Slightly. I’ll compensate by unwrapping this Amazon parcel that has just arrived.