For the last few years, I've been in charge of the challenges for my quilt guild. It's a great guild position, by the way...you pick a challenge theme, announce it at a few meetings and in the newsletter, and you're good to go.
For this year's challenge, I wanted to find a theme that wasn't trite or overdone or boring. I wanted something that would appeal to the traditional quilters in the guild, as well as to the art quilters. I solicited ideas, consulted with friends, and came up with this theme: The Sound of Quilting. The challenge is to make a quilt (smallish, no larger than 36 x 36 inches) inspired by a noise or a sound.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I figured I'd be full of ideas.
I mulled. I pondered. I thought about the theme each night as I tried to go to sleep, and each time I came to the same conclusion.
Who the hell came up with this stupid idea, anyway?
I can't beg off -- it's my challenge idea, after all. And it's due to be shown, completely finished of course, at the meeting on September 15.
For awhile I was going to illustrate the sound of a cat's purr. Well, I liked the idea of illustrating a cat's purr. The problem was, I couldn't settle on any image that actually portrayed the sound. I kept thinking I'd try to do the image of a cat rubbing up against someone's legs. But I'm not that confident in the drawing department, and I couldn't find an image that I wanted to work from, not for lack of trying. (I can't even tell you how many books on cats I've looked through at area bookstores, and children's books, even.)
A few weeks ago, on a very hot afternoon, I was out in the backyard running the sprinkler both to water the flowers and to entertain the puppy. I laid back on the lounge chair while Gemma ran back and forth through the sprinkler, and as I was relaxing and enjoying the cooling sound of the sprinkler on such a hot day, it hit me: that was THE SOUND.
Today was the first chance I've had to work on this project. And I'm off to a good start, if I do say so myself! Here it is so far:

Water droplets to come! I'm playing around with silk organza to fuse, and with an irridescent white thread... we'll see what happens next!
Funny, I can't seem to stop humming..."The hills are alive....."
I hear the summer night sounds when I see this picture-- I thought your safety pins were lightening bugs! Great illustration of a sound.
ReplyDeleteI love it! We have the kind of sprinkler that goes: spurt, spurt, spurt, spurt, spurt, whirrrrrrrrr
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see more.
Love it!! Can't wait to see it finshed!!
ReplyDelete