More of The Same, Part II

It never ceases to amaze me just how differently these pieces end up. Some are more successful than others, but they are clearly from the same starting point... isn't that the joy of creativity, I suppose?

The next step in this process, methinks, will be to increase the size...so I get to do some more dye painting, and have some fun with it on a BIG scale (Helen, be warned, your tables are bigger than mine...), before cutting it up and stitching. Or maybe even cutting it up, stitching it back together and stitching.

I was talking to someone yesterday about how to develop work from a piece that you're happy with. I talked about finding the things you really like about a finished piece, and working out why that is, then finding options that would give you a similar result, but using different materials, and with a different effect. So, we talked about replacing couched fuzzy yarn, which she had used to great effect, with some beads. Similar textural feel to it, and similar movement in the piece, but the strength of the line itself would be diffused, slightly, depending on how the beads were positioned.

Quilters are known for collecting techniques, that they never use again...this is a good way of introducing them into your daily work, without pain! But remember: you have to focus on the good stuff in your work. Too often, we are busy looking at the line that could be straighter, or the colour that might not just have been what we wanted, after all...we criticise the piece into oblivion. Sometimes, those 'faults' just can't be seen by anyone else...and we have destroyed a perfectly good piece of work by nitpicking it to death. Look for the good bits, and build on them. You know it makes sense!