just a quick share today of the results from my "feathers and fins" inspiration:

it's a mixed media birthday postcard for someone that i love.
:-) 



remember these? way back before the holidays i dyed this group of fabrics.

i was inspired by a photo that i seen on Lori's beautiful blog. she seems to go to a lot of quilt shows and is very generous in sharing her experiences/photos with all who follow her blog.

this particular quilt was one that she seen and admired at the Old Aurora Colony Quilt Show.

it was made by Matilda Knight Stauffer.

i thought it was pretty awesome too. i've always been a big fan of the antique Amish style of quilts and this one struck me as particularly beautiful.

Lori and i did a little brainstorming, i dyed some fabric, she had a friend who was willing to help out with the pattern making and before you know it Lori and i were both sewing up our own personal interpretations of this beautiful antique quilt.

in addition i had a book (within my obscenely huge personal library) called Amish -Inspired Quilts: Tradition With A Piece O' Cake Twist by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. i've admired the quilts in this book for quite some time and especially loved the "fragment" style quilts that are depicted within it.

so i decided to combine all of these inspirational sources within the piece that i've been making and these are my results.

starting with a variation of the block within the Matilda Knight Stauffer Quilt and setting it on point within the turqouisey blue fabric. this produced a piece that measured 16.25 inches (finished).

i then added a skinny cheddery yellow border of 1.75 inches (finished) and wider green border of 3.5 inches(finished) to the top and the bottom.

then the holidays were in full swing and i had to set it aside. but i knew that i wanted to take the piece into the "fragment" style at this point and so i cut a 6.5 inch (unfinished) strip of the red fabric. i pinned these pieces up onto my wall and thought about them A LOT.

i drew up sketches and played around with the idea of adding a vine applique as well as some quilting possibilities . . .

and finally i've been able to get back to it and begin stitching that vine. the center "stem" is nicely in place and i will begin to cut and sew leaves tomorrow . . .

meanwhile, Lori has been exhibiting the patience of a saint as she is much faster than i am and has her wonderful piece already quilted.

this has been wonderfully fun and some day soon i hope to show the finished results of my little Amish inspirations fragment quilt. hopefully you'll show as much patience as Lori has.

research or dictionary mania ~!?!~

consider this an explanation of sorts as to why it takes me so long to complete anything.

sometimes i like to read through dictionaries. especially old dictionaries. i'm not sure why but i find it both fascinating and comforting to sit and quietly peruse the thin crispy pages. i have a small collection of them and am always on the hunt for more. this morning i settled in with a 1946 edition of "The New Century Dictionary"; volume one (A - pocket veto)

i actually had a goal when i started but then the spell was cast and i found myself wandering from definition to picture to definition . . . pages turned . . .

time passed . . .

eventually i felt compelled to get the camera out and collect a few of the images that might be useful in my "feathers and fins" theme. ah yes, back to the goal . . .

this is definitely a fish with a beak . . . 

it's interesting how similar feathers and fins are . . . 

what a show-off~!~

then i began to notice how similar many leaves are to feathers and/or fins . . .

and even insect wings looked like they belonged somehow . . . 

i was absolutely fascinated~!!~

hhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm . . .

i did get a little distracted at times . . .

but eventually got back around to the inspiration of "feathers and fins".

my head is full of ideas and directions to go now and my spirit strangely calmed by the act of wandering through old print and hand drawn images.

however, i must get back to the daily stuff of life and set this all aside to simmer a bit within my head . . .

inspiration is like that for me. i'm Alice down the rabbit hole for quite a while before it all perks back up into some usable fodder: (fod' er), n. Food for cattle, horses, etc., esp such food as . . . oops, sorry.

what is the creative process like for you? share with me your process (or one of) that you use to slip into that wandering, wondering, pondering pool that then enables you to swim happily to your own strange island of imagination.

our creative processes are as unique as what is actually created i think.

while you think about it i've got to get to the dishes and laundry.

darn it~!