12x12 Quilt Group: In the Beginning

This is a peek at a 12x12 quilt I am working on.

Any minute I might set it down and go to the spinning wheel and spin some yarn.

Then after a while I might wander over to the stamp and paper area and work on a book or maybe stamp a few paper dolls.

Yes, my name is Calamity Kim and I have a problem.

I want to make everything, all the time! Let me run it back for ya-

Before I learned to spin, I was making doll quilts and doing swaps and sewing aprons and dreaming of writing a quilt book. Then the allure of art yarn wound me in it's tenacious grasp and I abandoned all thoughts of quilting and spent the next 3 1/2 years spinning and reading books about spinning, taking classes and dyeing roving and yarn. That is a recent handspun that is plied with handspun.

It makes my heart sing.

But so does sewing.

Quilting is texture beneath your fingertips... Let me tell you how it happened: a few months ago I was dog sitting for a friend and had the time to check out her art book library. I discovered a book called 12 x12: the international art quilt challenge. My eyes lit up and my fingers started to itch and I called my friend Lenore and told her about it and suggested what if we try this ?

 

After a few emails, texts and phone calls we found some women friends who had the time and desire to try their hands at quilting a 12x12' quilt every 5-6 weeks and share the results with each other. It has been fun and a challenge to make time to quilt.

The first theme was chosen by Arlene and it was Genesis.

I went home and sketched a design.

I had to wait a while because I was making work to sell at a craft show but as soon as that was finished I began appliqueing my piece.

I used my first piece of rusted, eco dyed fabric for the base and then drew the images onto freezer paper and cut them out. After ironing them to the applique fabric I cut them out, turned the edge under with the needle and carefully stitched them down.

Of course it was set aside more than a few times as I worked on knitting, spinning, cooking, cleaning and life!

I struggled with allowing myself "free time".

You know, time when you are making something for yourself- not to sell or for a show. It seems selfish. Especially when gas prices continue to rise and the cost of living increases while my husband is still looking for a job and I am trying to earn money for my work.

You know that struggle, right?

Well, this 12 x 12 group is fun and gives me an opportunity to grow and teach my friends about new techniques. I also learn from them so it is a great sharing exchange and mutal appreciation of each other's work.

It is wonderful to watch them get all excited when they do show and tell about their pieces and how they encountered difficulty along the way to their goal.

It is worth the time spent.

So, I just wanted to share this with you and say hi.

I miss blogging but it is all about time. There is simply never enough!

I am still sewing aprons, dyeing fabric, spinning yarn, felting wool, cutting and folding and stamping paper while writing ridiculous run on sentences.

I hope to get caught up with my Genesis and show it in a few days.

My idea is about how the creator made the earth, water, fire and animals of land, sea and air under a new sun and old moon.

I enjoy the slowness of hand applique and making a picture appear from blankness. The quilting is the fun (and scary) part!

I plan to hand stitch a little and maybe a small bit of machine stitching- we will see what happens.

In the mean time you may want to check out the 12 x12 Group blog and see all the coolness there.

Happy Sewing, Spinning, Knitting and Stamping ya'll!

calamity kim