As a little bonus for the blog tour, I thought I'd share a bit about creating one of the pieces that is featured in my article about creating sheer silhouettes.
Vine Emerging, 16x16"
I was working on a big quilt that was very very challenging. I felt like I was working totally outside of my style and it wasn't going well. I needed to take a break and return to some of my favorite techniques and elements.
I played around with bits on my work table (and out of my trash can) and came up with this basic composition.
It was so refreshing! I even used some of the same fabrics from the challenging quilt. Seeing them in a different setting helped me return to the larger project with new ideas.
After completing the larger project, I returned to the fabric collage. It needed a focal point, so I added the sheer silhouette of the vine and berries. And lots of hand embroidery! My article includes step-by-step instructions for this sheer silhouette technique and images of other fabric collages I created using sheer fabrics.
I posted a few more details about the emag just a few days ago, in this post. Check it out!
Oh Yes! I know you read "give away" the title of this post. The fabulous Lindsey Murray at Quilting Arts is offering some fiber art goodies as part of my post! I'll throw in an original fiber ATC! Just comment on this post and I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner on March 11. Tell me what you do to take a break from a challenging project.
Michelle Allen is up next on the In Stitches Blog Tour!
Lots more great posts along the way on the tour, too!
Sunday (Feb 27): Pokey launches the tour!
Monday (Feb 28): Jane Davila
Tuesday: Lynn Krawczyk( March 1)
Wednesday: Jackie Cardy(March 2)
Thursday: Deb Bates (March 3)
Friday: Deborah Boschert (March 4): That's me!
Saturday: Michelle Allen (March 5)
Sunday: Liz Kettle (March 6)
Monday: Lyric Kinard (March 7)
Tuesday (March 8): A surprise guest on Lindsey’s blog will be the final stop of this tour!
56 comments:
Thanks for the giveaway! It's been hard in the past for me to break away from a challenging project because I feel like I have to solve all the problems right away. But once I realized I wasn't enjoying the project under those conditions, I realized (light bulb moment!) that I had to make myself get up and walk away. So I call the dogs for a walk before I think too much about it, and off we go! I come back to the project with a much better attitude and sometimes the very solution that was eluding me. Very wordy, huh? Blame the iced tea. :0 By the way, I'm in Upper Marlboro, MD. Howdy.
I have been reading your blog for a while and enjoy seeing your work.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Usually I have at least two piles in varying degrees of commitment at the back of my cutting table (when I can find them!) Sometimes I have to go and shuffle those into more fully developed ideas OR sometimes I just have to turn the lights out and take the dog to the park. Consciously getting away from one often subconsciously rejuvenates the other. I enjoy your work Deborah and your colors are fresh! Happy Bloggy Day
When I need a break I go and make a pot of hot tea (Caramel Creme Brûlée my favorite) and maybe look through a quilt magazine.
Walk right away and do something completely different - usually gardening!
Thank you for the giveaway!
Congratulations on being in In Stitches!
This Blog Tour has introduced me to some very nice new blogs to follow. Yours is interesting and I like the use of fabric from scrap and trash. I do that too. Thanks for the opportunity to enter.
The best break is to take a walk outside, but usually I just play silly computer games or tackle much needed housework.
I generally just walk away and find some escape reading -- most likely a mystery novel. I am really loving this blog tour, it is fun seeing new artists, I only knew three before this.
A little yoga maybe, or a jaunt with the pooch always does the trick!
I love this quilt Deborah. Beautiful!
Yes, it's good to do something different when you're stuck.
I just got the new "In Stitches 2" and I love it! So now I have been following your blog, and I appreciate the subject matter of the blog today. Good to know!
I always think I have to finish every quilt I start, so breaking away is hard. Usually, I just start another quilt and the challenging one goes to the UFO pile.
This looks to be a unique techinique. I was thinking about dowloading In Stitches...this may just have given me the needed nudge!
Garden work is the best remedy, but difficult in the winter! Then a quick (to stay warm) walk outside, wherever there has been shoveling has to suffice. And of course, playtime with my rabbits is good for a change of focus. Stroking that angora fur is very soothing....
Usually if frustrated, I will walk away and head to gym or take a run. It helps to clear my head and relieve my frustration.
It's a lovely piece, Deborah - congrats!
As you know, I love your work. It is so different from a lot of the art quilts I see and I mean that in a good way..;) I take a walk along a river near us. It gets me away from the project, the mess I should be clearing up, and opens my mind. Thanks for the peek into your creative mind.
When I need a break, I do a little needle-felting, make a fabric postcard, or do some Off-the-floor patchwork. (That's sewing together scraps from a previous project to use later on.)
I love your smaller piece of art!
When I need a break I head for the woods for a walk with the pup. If the weather's not cooperating, I'll read a book or try out a new recipe - anything different from what I was stuck on (except housework. There's no need to punish myself!)
I make a batch of brownies and consume them while tidying my quilt shed shelves, vacuuming all the creative lint from the floor, and putting all the rulers, cutters and 'stuff' back where they belong. Then I am refreshed and ready to go at it again!
i am interested in reading more about the sheers. it really is beautiful for layering and depth. thanks for posting about vine leaves!
Lovely quilt. If I hit a roadblock I usually just hit the internet and check out blogs and websites that have inspired me before or provided solutions to problems before.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Wonderful blog. When I need a change, I start another project!
When I need a break from a project, I usually end up doing some housework. Washing the dishes has always been my meditative time to look out the window, think about the garden, friends, run through my prayer list. Then my mind can come back to a problem with a fresh outlook.
Truth is, I often give up and start again. But on a good day, feeling hopeful, I brew a cuppa, surf on over to your blog, get inspired and try again. Blog tour? You are a rock star. Hope I win.
I enjoy reading about the creative process. My first visit--I'll be back!
Hi Deborah!!!
When something isn't working for me on a design - I have to take a break - hang it on the design wall and just live with it for a few days - something always comes to me - usually in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Then I get up and finish it... Ha Ha - Cant wait to see you in a couple weeks!! Pam
Well, I've always got LOTS of other things to do, so I'll usually but it on the design wall and work on something else...of course, that may be a little or a long while, so if there's a deadline, I'll pull hubby into the room and talk it through with him, that has helped amazingly well in the past!
BTW - got your 12 x 12 book in the mail on Saturday, can't WAIT to dig into it, but WAIT I must as I've got some deadlines coming up! :-) THE cover itself is fabulous - LOVE the texture!
what a lovely composition.
Maggie
Call to hubby for a cappacinno break, pick up a book or some knitting for a bit. When I come back if it still isn't happening work another ufo while I think about it, usually hang on my design wall so I can see it while I carry on with something else. Love your blog, I check in quite often. Bev Longford
Going back to needle work... :)
I'll stop working on it for a couple of days and I usually come up with a great idea to fix what's not working while in the shower!
When I need a break, I just turn on some music and dance!
As so many others have stated, it's time to walk the dog. If it takes longer to (mentally) resolve the issue, I'll often blog hop for ideas and inspiration.
I tack it to my design wall and may leave it there for several weeks before trying to tackle it again. It is amazing how taking a break from something enables me to look at it anew later on.
Your work is inspiring!
If I can't conquer a problem with a piece, I set it aside and get a good night's sleep!
I walk away from it and usually try another project. If that doesn't work hit the internet for more inspiration.
A project break for me is to do something small with paper like a stitched note card or glue book page.
I take a break from the project and go watch a cooking show on TV or read emails, blogs, or even just play with my farm on Farmville! Then I can take a deep breath and get back to it feeling a little more back on center. I tend to get sucked into some aspects of a project so deeply that other aspects suffer if I don't get back to the place where I can see it all, that big picture!
Love this! When I need a break I go for a walk or do some tai chi. If I'm really stressed, a piece of good chocolate, then walking is good! ;-)
Walking away works best - amazing how it looks a day or two later.
This has been a wonderful blog hop..a chance for a goodie is nice, but just getting to visit and see what all of you are working on is really the best goodie of all.
Start planning/working on a different one!
Shari
When I run up against a brick wall during a project, unfortunately, I run away for a while (some times a long while) ... unless I'm on a deadline, in which case, I try to alter my vision of the project in order to overcome the issue.
I have only used sheers a couple of times. Thanks for the reminder. I have a GREAT use for that effect on a quilt I am working on at the moment.
When faced with a challenge where I feel stuck, I just put it aside and walk away for awhile. Usually some solution or idea will come to to at a totally random time, when I'm NOT thinking about it.
When I get frustrated with how an art piece is going, depending on the time of day, I either go outside and journal/sketch or go to bed and sleep on it. Getting away from my studio really helps me get perspective and see the piece more objectively.
I am in serious LUV with your imagery............ Nature plays a ginormous role in my creative process as well!!!!!!!!!!
blessings, Catherine
If a piece is giving me trouble, I will leave it pinned to the design wall and do housework or a smaller project. Looking at it later may help me see what isn't working. If that doesn't work, I will take a digital photo, put it into the computer and change the photo to grayscale.... I often find the culprit is lack of contrast. I will also sometimes print out the photo and draw on it, cut it up, or whatever, trying different ideas... something often pops up to help.
I love the sheer images on your little piece!
When I need a break from a challenging project, I often take a walk down to my favorite coffee house. Or, I will work on something else, maybe a quick drawing, to sooth my soul. I have certainly found that it pays to get a good night's sleep and get a fresh view of the project the next day. I tend to be stubborn and want to blast my way through a trouble spot, but generally I find that unless I take a break, I am only going to continue to be frustrated.
I love the sheer silhouettes technique, BTW, and will try it out. Thanks for sharing!
Like many others who comment, I sometimes need to walk away from a challenging project. I have also taken a picture of what's there with my camera to see it from a different perspective. Then, I will turn the picture around in the four different directions to see if any problems stick out.
I like your idea of just starting something fun different with some of the same fabrics.
Giveaways are such fun and expose us to new things.
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