I've had no formal art schooling and am at a point where I want to design from scratch using NO inspiration. So I've taken 3 weeks of Nancy Crow within a year and a Drawing and Composition class at the Indy Art Center where I teach. I've taken Claire Benn and Leslie Morgan for a week and Sue Benner this year. All these were in attempt to create from scratch. Though I've grown from these workshops, I don't know that I've made much progress on design. My lack, not instructors.
This is not to say that I can't design like crazy with a source of inspiration. I can and do. In fact, I take an idea or pattern and go off in another direction, making it my own.
In my frustration of feeling blocked in the ability to design from ground '0', I asked my Drawing and Composition instructor about it. He suggested I might want to face the fact that that is how my brain works, that I need it, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's normal. I don't want to settle for that, though, and will keep pressing on. In the meantime, I won't feel bad or abandon working with an inspirational jump off point.
This brings me to my current project.
Karla Alexander's book New Cuts for New Quilts - More Ways To Stack The Deck, has spurred an idea. Check out page 38. I love how black pops colors. So I made 2 decks as she suggested and reduced 35 blocks with the same fab as the bigger blocks. I've all the blocks assembled and put aside, waiting for the design wall arrangement. Christmas sewing now, blog later on that. After Christmas, I will make a knit tote that is wide and shallow from these blocks. I'll have a lot of extra block fabric left for other projects. 
God Bless and happy creating!
This is not to say that I can't design like crazy with a source of inspiration. I can and do. In fact, I take an idea or pattern and go off in another direction, making it my own.
In my frustration of feeling blocked in the ability to design from ground '0', I asked my Drawing and Composition instructor about it. He suggested I might want to face the fact that that is how my brain works, that I need it, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's normal. I don't want to settle for that, though, and will keep pressing on. In the meantime, I won't feel bad or abandon working with an inspirational jump off point.
This brings me to my current project.
Karla Alexander's book New Cuts for New Quilts - More Ways To Stack The Deck, has spurred an idea. Check out page 38. I love how black pops colors. So I made 2 decks as she suggested and reduced 35 blocks with the same fab as the bigger blocks. I've all the blocks assembled and put aside, waiting for the design wall arrangement. Christmas sewing now, blog later on that. After Christmas, I will make a knit tote that is wide and shallow from these blocks. I'll have a lot of extra block fabric left for other projects. 
God Bless and happy creating!
2 comments:
These blocks look wonderful Bobbie.
Just remember the first step is cutting up the fabric in little pieces so you can sew it back together!
That's what you've done her and I can't wait to see the finished blocks.
And the second step is "Just do it".
K
Your blocks look great hope you'll post more pics as you progress.
What a fantastic studio too.
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