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| Log Cabin Variation Baby's Quilt |
Writing is one of those creative endeavors that requires material
from many different sources. We don’t just sit down and write with no
experience from which we draw our stories. From people watching to research, we
build information we have gathered into a whole story.
When I’m at a loss and my creative muses have bowed out for
whatever reason, I’m inclined to turn to other creative efforts. Gardening is
top of my list when the weather is warm, sunny and dry. Since I no longer have
a garden, I dig around in pots and tubs on my balcony. This past weekend, that
is how I spent the better part of Saturday morning, instead of working on my novel in progress, This Can't Be Love.
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| Welsh Pennsylvania Square from Scraps |
While potting around, I had time to think and breathe in the
good earthy smells and let my thoughts wander freely. In the process, an idea
bloomed for my monthly contribution to Classic and Cozy. I admire my fellow
bloggers here who contribute and always come up with something worth
reading and drawing others attention to.
I sometimes think of gardening and other forms of
distraction as part of my attention deficit or displacement activities. Yet,
they have a creative purpose all their own. When the mood strikes me or I have
a good reason, one of my favorite activities is making quilts. This was a
favorite pastime of my mother as well. In fact, sewing of any kind is a passion
we both shared.
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| Attic Window from Found Fabric |
I wasn’t always interested in quilts. My first love was
dressmaking, but I went to an exhibition of Welsh quilts in Llanidloes, about
ten years ago, put together by Jen Jones,
another American living in Wales. A few years before, I had been to the
American quilt exhibit at the American
Museum in Bath, England.
Having a close friend, Sue Mordan, who is a
talented quilt-maker, also encouraged my interest and I began with small
projects such as wall hangings, pillow covers and table runners. I was also intrigued
by the influence of Welsh quilting tradition on the Amish in Pennsylvania.
Though the Amish quilts have gained international acclaim, their simple solid
color quilt designs are based on traditional Welsh, multi-colored design
patterns, as the book Making
Welsh Quilts, explains.
Every quilt requires imagination, planning, design, choices.
The process frees my head for other things. A form of daydreaming, the same
sort of freedom that allows all thinkers to come up with theories and stories
that may change the world. For me, it
seems a good exercise to prepare for writing a novel.
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| Making Design Decisions |
© 2014 Leigh Verrill-Rhys
All photographs (except Making Welsh Quilts bookcover) © 2014 Leigh Verrill-Rhys
Great post and nice connection to writing. I usually dig in the garden when I'm stuck with writing. But I also watch a favorite movie and it never ceases to inspire.
ReplyDeleteHappy writing!!
Happy writing to you! I also garden but with only a few pots, the pastime doesn't offer as much thinking time. Thank you, Kathye.
DeleteLove, love this post, Leigh. I'm a quilter too, though I haven't been able to squeeze much quilting in lately. I so agree that dabbling in a different creative activity makes us better writers. If I think of my story as a quilt, I realize that I need a patch of a different color or more texture here and there to make the story interesting.
ReplyDeleteSandy, that is exactly what I meant. How wonderful to find another quilter! Surprising what we keep as essential ingredients to support our writing life. Thanks, Sandy.
DeleteLeigh, I love your post. I was a seamstress for years, but I never got around to learning the art of quilt-making. I love to see the beautifully put together pieces. So much creativity and so much work!
ReplyDeleteEven though there are shortcuts to patchwork, the work is quite a feat of logistics. I enjoy the design process, the same sort of effort that goes into structuring a story, but I have to admit, I'm much keener on structuring a quilt, being a pantser!
DeleteHi Leigh. I enjoyed reading this post. I agree that it's great to engage in another activity that inspires the creativity. Quilting seems very difficult to me, like it would require too much thinking. I like to scrapbook. But when I think about it, scrapbooking is exactly like quilting: it involves choosing colors, shapes, textures, page design, a complete picture that tells a story.
ReplyDeleteVictoria--
Oh yes, Victoria, scrapbooking is very similar to quilting, but I've never had an urge to scrapbook like I do with quilting. I think that comes from years of dressmaking as well as being an art student with a sense of color! Thank you for dropping by.
DeleteI have long held the belief that writers are artists in other life venues as well. You are adding to the list of creative folks I've met who also write. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sofie. Writing is my #1. All my other creative pursuits are icing (preferably chocolate) on the cake!
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