Saturday, March 24, 2012

paper piecing redux

There was a time when I approached paper piecing with the devotion of a madwoman.  The more intricate the pattern the better I liked it!  
Paper piecing is much like puzzle making.  The end, which is always in clear sight, is very predictable.  I always liked the safety in this practice.  There's a lot to be said about a precise clean finish.  But lately I find myself shying away from all of this dependability.  I want some simplicity and I long for disorder.


Something has come over me.   I can hear in my mom's voice on the other end of the phone that she is worried.  She likes 'dependable' so much that she made certain to pass that lesson along to her children.  And now this youngest one, what will come next!  Advocating that housework is a waste of precious time and that we should all drink as much coffee as we like!  And if it keeps us awake at night, then we should get up and do something!  Plenty of time to sleep when we're dead.  Poor mom.  I have to stop tormenting her with my newly developing visions of freedom.


You live your life a certain way and then suddenly some slant of light reveals that you've missed, well, LOTS.  What does this have to do with paper piecing?  Maybe nothing, or maybe everything.  I found some freedom today in the complete destruction of my work room -  
And I left it just like this when I was finished.  Then I came downstairs and made a cake.  And God help me, ate some of it with coffee.  And yes, it's late and yes, I am wide awake.  
I'm paring down the paper piecing -
You can never have too much coffee.



8 comments:

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

Change is inevitable as you get older and realize what is really important. Only you know what you need to do with your life. Live it to the fullest.

SusanB-knits said...

You rebel! Change is good. I'm with you except I drink tea. And yes, if I want a cup and it's late, I drink it anyway!! lol.
I do love your quilts and the way you piece them together.

Diana LaMarre said...

Jody,
I love your dog PP block. Is that one of your dogs?

I still love paper piecing. I am questioning how many more quilt projects I should make. When is enough enough? I must have 3 dozen+ table runners and I continue to make more. Why? LOL. I have almost stopped buying new fabric as I have tons to use up.

I agree if you want coffe at night, go ahead and drink it!

Anonymous said...

I love you paperpieced do block. I am trying to make a quilt for my husband with blocks containing things that he loves. He has a bloodhound and I would love to get a pattern to make a block for him. How can I learn to do this? Or is there some way to get a pattern made? Would you mind emailing me? skendall00@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I make quilts for our Northern Illinois Golden Retriever Rescue, As Good as Gold, annual auction. Am looking for more "artsy" kinds of quilts than I have made in the past. Do you have a pattern for your paper pieced Golden in this blog episode? If so, I would love to make it for our annual auction. Thanks. Nancy

Unknown said...

Is this an original paper pieced Golden Retriever? May I buy a pattern anywhere?

THis would be perfect for a guild challenge I am working on, but I am running out of time.

THANK YOU for your consideration!

Cathy Belt said...


I am trying to make a paper pieced Golden Retriever quilt for my son. I have been searching online for patterns everywhere and came across your posting. Is there a place where I can purchase the pattern that you used to create your Golden Retriever quilt? I'd appreciate any information you can provide. Thanks so much for your help, Cathy Belt
email - cmbelt@aol.com

Cathy Belt said...

I read through your postings and located the reference you gave for the paper piecing pattern for the Golden Retriever. Thanks for posting - I've ordered my patterns from you friend. Cathy Belt