Last night we were having dinner at my Mums and my Kaleido flimsy came up in conversation. I of course expressed my frustration with the error filled pattern when my son shared his thoughts. He said, "I don't get why anyone would make a quilt off a magazine pattern anyway. Why do they even make magazines full of patterns when you can just make up your own?"
I think my jaw dropped, it's possible I even choked a little on my nanaimo bar. My first reaction was shock. What a negative comment! I love looking thru patterns and seeing who's making what, seeing the colours as the trends change, feeling inspiration strike when all the elements come together and light that fire in my head.
But then I thought about the literal statement he made. My boy, The Virgo, literal to a fault...it's a black and white world for these Virgo people. He has watched me slice up piece after piece of fabric and stitch random bits back together in glee. He's not seen me angered by a pattern or complain about 'this not fitting' or 'that not working' for a very long time. His 13 year old brains most recent version of my quilting history is an Improv view. I love free piecing! I'm a dive in head first kinda girl...in all aspects of my life. I just jump in. In quilting, he has watched me bring to life several designs that have both amused and awed me...without instructions. He sees that, his perception has become his brains reality; his mother just makes stuff.
Back to our dinner conversation:
I explained to Ben that patterns are important. While I am flattered that he thinks every other brain out there functions like mine does that there are lot's of people who sew their entire lives and never make a single quilt without a pattern. Some never cook without a recipe. Some carpenters never build without a plan. And this is OK! We are not all jumpers, sometimes plans are required.
I can build a Purple Cow with no insructions but I simply cannot build a single piece of IKEA furniture without a whole friggin' manual. And that too, is OK.
What a very insightful post!!!
ReplyDeleteLiteral to a fault - yup, we Virgos are like that... 😊
I can draw a pattern from almost any picture I see and I generally draw them in a way that makes sense to me, so sadly I steal other people's ideas, but generally not exactly the same. I have used 2 patterns so far and both worked out after making a scrap test block first, so I can use a pattern. I have also made a couple of very fun quilts just starting with fabric and one of my husbands landscape photographs.
ReplyDeleteIn the words of author Austin Kleon, steal like an artist!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Valarie (hand waving) we are getting our Ikea this fall so I'll find out how I do at Ikea furniture soon, lol. I.LOVE.YOUR.PURPLE.COW!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Cherie! I don't recommend building Ikea anything without a plan but that said, I love everything I own that has come from there. The build is always worth it regardless if it's done by plan or by the seat of your pants, right?
DeleteHi Cherie! I don't recommend building Ikea anything without a plan but that said, I love everything I own that has come from there. The build is always worth it regardless if it's done by plan or by the seat of your pants, right?
DeleteGive your son a BIG HUG from me. He gets it!!! You are so lucky to have such a wonderful and perceptive kid!
ReplyDeleteI will! He IS a great kid!
DeleteI will! He IS a great kid!
DeleteInteresting perception from a 13 year old. Love the purple cow. One question for you, Val: why Purple Boots and Pigtails (love the name), yet your profile pic shows yellow boots;) what gives?
ReplyDeleteThose yellow boots are just one pair in my big collection of Docs.... not my favourite pair, but I love their cheeky little smiley faces! That picture was my Google profile picture long before my blog was even thought of...I suppise given this weeks adventute I should change it. Betcha can't guess what colour my favourite pair might be?
ReplyDeleteLove the cow. You do awesome work.
ReplyDelete