In a world were the pressure for perfection is ever present, the quest for success can overwhelm us, thus causing our creative mojo to get lost somewhere along the journey. This is often the case when we are creating to meet the demand of others, but it can also be the case when we are creating for ourselves. The scale we use to measure success, sadly, is seldom one we create ourselves, thereby placing us at the risk of becoming overwhelmed when our efforts fall short of an unrealistic norm.
As creators, or makers to use another term commonly used in social media, we rely on our creative mojo to keep our inspiration flowing and our ideas vibrant. Our ability to keep creating often relies heavily on our feelings of accomplishment, and therefore how we determine success is instrumental in our ability to create.
In my video today, I ponder the notion of success and the question of whether my latest project is a success. I determine success is achieved when three criteria are met – functionality, structural-soundness, and joy. We are makers not machines. Variables in our creative efforts are part of what makes our product unique and desirable. When we hold onto this knowledge, we can better keep hold of our mojo even as we pursue success.
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This week I have three English Paper Piecing blocks to share.
When I made my first gingerbread doll, I used fabric from an old vest. Later I used hand-dyed wool to make the larger doll, and cream muslin for my tree topper. My first pattern was derived from a coloring page I had, then with time, it was modified a bit. Simple shapes like these are great places to begin ornament crafting. They can be sewn so that the raw edges are hidden inside the doll, or they could also be made using felt so that the raw edges could stay on the outside. Cookie cutters are a wonderful way to create the shapes for a whole host of ornaments similar to my little Ginger Doll.
The idea to create a tiny kitchen towel came as I prepared for this week’s video. Christmas and baking go hand-in-hand, and I thought I could make more cookie cutter shapes. However since I have been making towel toppers this year to bring more festive fun into my kitchen, it seemed only natural that I should see if a miniature was possible. With a bit of experimentation, I was able to make my newest ornament. Yes, I will admit, I made my prototypes with my embroidery machine. It stitches so much more accurately than I do, but when I put the pattern together I found the traditional method of paper pattern and sewing machine easy and quick.
So this week, in addition to the English Paper Piecing block, I will share two more patterns with you.
A hexagon? A wagon wheel? A snow flake? A Christmas Wreath? Sometimes a simple shape can be the most confusing to name. This week’s English Paper Piecing block is an example of how the humble hexagon can be transformed simply by changing the fabric colors and placements.
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Pattern for this block with both the solid and segmented centers.
When I started my journey into English Paper Piecing just over three months ago, I never envisioned how much joy I would find in the process. While not my first slow-craft (the trendy way to call traditional crafting), it has been the most surprising. Yes, it is true, my aging eyes need excellent lighting to manage, and a needle threading tool is quite helpful, but the joy of creating with needle and thread is abundant.
Finding balance seems easier now that I have added an additional slow-craft to my life. Without the slower hand work of crafts like EPP, it is easy to feel everything in life needs to be high-speed production in order to have value. Life, yes even crafting life, can speed out of control until one unexpected obstacle or turn derails you. Recovery is then required before the journey can continue.
This week I share three EPP projects: one that took weeks to make, one that is a component of something bigger, and one that is full of holiday joy. Each brings with it the benefits of slow-crafting.
A block that benefits from the use of light, medium, and dark contrasting fabrics for greatest impact. It is also stunning when made with a low contrast collection of fabrics.
Still using 4 different fabrics, the blues are low contrasting for a subtle effect. Another option is to make it using one star fabric and one background fabric.
When the background fabric is changed to a dark contrast, the effect is dramatic.
This quilt layout uses 4 of the North Star blocks and a thin 1 inch border. Its finished size is 22 inches square.
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This week’s vlog shares my finished Halloween Quilt and some handy zippered bags. I include resource link in the vlog description for those wanting to try the zippered bag either with machine embroidery or with traditional sewing methods.
In the world of crafting, the UFO is anything but a rare occurrence. UnFinished Objects, the UFO, can also be called unfinished fiber objects in the world of knitting and crochet. At its heart, the UFO is simply a project that, once stated, was never finished. It is important to distinguish the UFO from the Grab n Go projects many crafters keep at a ready for times when crafting is out in the wild (dentist’s office’s lobbies, children’s school performances, stressful social engagements). It is also important to note that the UFO should not be mistaken for the slow projects kept on hand for the occasional break from the must-make-as-fast-as-possible projects and what-was-I-thinking projects which often dominate the crafters time. The UFO is separate from the rest, often because it is tossed into a hidden corner and somewhat forgotten.
However, this languishing UFO is not the only type of UFO in the crafter’s universe. Sometimes a UFO is simply a project put aside because life gets in the way of finishing. It might even be relegated to the infamous To Do pile, much like mending a favorite item of clothing. Every indication says that it will get done, just not at this particular moment. These UFOs are often the joy-filled projects a crafter begins but a misjudgment of time for completion occurs.
It is one of these latter types of UFO I completed this week along with all my other fiber and fabric fun. I share my UFO bag, this week’s English Paper Piecing block, and a few quick projects in my vlog.
English Paper Piecing dominates my days, especially since there are so many seasonal inspirations simply begging to become EPP projects. This week I am sharing two blocks for my ongoing EPP quilt project, plus a quilt pattern I’ve named Ghosts & Lanterns.
In addition to these EPP projects, I share more seasonal projects in this week’s podcast. With autumn breezes finally cooling the air, I have returned to my sewing room with excitement. In fact, that is were I am off to now.
Happy Unwinding with Fiber and Fabric💜
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Patterns for this week’s blocks can be downloaded here.
From my earliest days of quilting, I have been drawn to star blocks. Whether created by using half-square triangles or diamonds, they never fail to entice me. However as far as ease of construction goes, they have caused me frustration. Maintaining each and every point on a star is not the easiest of tasks, especially when in a hurry to see the project finished. Switching to a slower process like English Paper Piecing, much like with foundation piecing, offers a way to get precision with less frustration. In the past, I have dabbled with foundation piecing as a way to get my star blocks precise, but while I did enjoy the process, it never clicked for me like EPP has. Maybe my new found love of EPP has a great deal to do with my current need to slow down just a bit.
During periods of life when the future is more unsure than what we have come to expect, or when we feel like we are standing on shaky ground, slow-crafting has the potential to calm our mind. While finished objects and busy hands often motivate the hand-crafting world, many crafts can be done with speed without the loss of accuracy. EPP, like other hand sewing crafts, requires focus, even when the skill is performed by the hands of a master. Every stitch is placed in just the right spot to create strength, yet small enough to seemingly disappear when the block is finished. Over time, rhythmic precision develops, but focus is still required.
Working with an EPP block offers the crafter a choice –
focus on the stitches while also focusing on a movie or audio book so that you mind won’t wander,
or focus only on the stitches so your mind will wander with the hope that it will work through the stresses of the day.
As hand-crafters, we often choose our patterns and projects with these two choices in mind. It is likely the reason why we keep so many projects going at the same time. We have projects that fit for both of the choices above, so we can easily pick one based of the need of the moment.
Right now, my need has me picking a project that keeps me focused on my hands rather than focused things outside my control. In truth, I’m not at all surprised I have gravitated to so many star blocks as I plan out the EPP quilt. Whether wishing on a star, or simply taking in their sparkling beauty, star gazing, much like slow-crafting can quiet the mind during troubled times.
Imperfection fades away, replaced by snuggly comfort.
In the crafting world, the stress created by seeking perfection is offset by a simple 3-foot rule. Whatever is not noticeable from 3 feet away should not cause the maker angst. While this rule is not always as effective as one might hope, when it comes to quilting, there is an additional rule that usually covers all but the most egregious flaws. The comfort rule.
If the quilt provides comfort, then the quilt needs only be structurally sound to be perfect.
Sometimes in life, we lose perspective, focusing too much on imperfections rather than on purpose.
“What is the purpose of what we do?” “What is the goal we hope to achieve?”
There will always be situations where perfection must be the purpose, but those situations rarely extend beyond life-saving, safety-critical, or technology-focused tasks. In most cases, seeking perfection is a goal but not the purpose of the endeavor.
When we focus the purpose of our task, imperfections fade away to be replaced by the comfort a good perspective on life provides.
During the holiday season, my world seems to be inundated by inspiring social media posts and videos. So many wonderful new things to try, hidden among some crazy crafting fodder. I enjoy watching videos of projects coming to life, even ones that show crafts that I know I will never take on. Every so often though, I will decide to join the crazy train of a popular craft. Yet, I prefer when my new crafty undertakings are able to overlap with my current arsenal of creative techniques. Finding an overlap is not always easy. Clay work, for instance, is still rather a stand alone. Although, I have made my own polymer clay buttons, so there is some overlap with my sewing projects.
Good organization skills and proper storage techniques come in handy when there are multiple crafty people living under one roof. The joke about the entire house being called a craft room is not much of a joke when so many rooms hold craft supplies. With the constraints of limited space and a need to actually live in the house rather than just craft in the house, I am hesitant when I feel the urge to take on a new type of crafting endeavor. However in the days since I last contributed to this blog, I have finally succumbed to the ever popular world of blinging up a project with gems.
In the past, I have made embraced glass beads for my blinging needs. This was a frugal way to use materials I had on hand, as well as a permanent way to attach bling, but glass beads have their limits. Working with freestanding lace embroidery turned out to be one of the limits. I knew that hiding the attachment stitches on delicate lace ornaments would be difficult. So after many years of resisting the urge, I took the plunge and purchased a hot-fix gem tool and an assortment of gems. When the supplies arrived, down that rabbit hole I dove into a magical world of sparkling light. What was I thinking by resisting this craze for so long?
Fortunately over the years I have learned restraint. So I don’t think my home will be blinged up, nor will my husband worry that his clothing will start to twinkle in the sunlight, but the ornaments I make each year may very well sparkle when the lights of the Christmas tree are turned on.
Another Video
After taking a couple weeks to rest/play/craft, I sat down and tried something new – a vlog rather than an inspirational mini tutorial. It was not my intent to ramble along for such an amount of time, but I now understand why my favorite knitting vloggers vlog for nearly an hour each episode. It was quite to my surprise that I realized how very long I had been rambling about inspiration, projects completed, memories, and lessons learned. I do not know how many people will ever watch the video in its entirety, but at the end of the day I am so very pleased that this vlog has been created. It is a glimpse into my world, my head, my life, and it has brought me joy. I hope that it will bring others joy too.
Pithy Ponderings 