telling a story that has no words

Sometimes I have to make the quilt to determine what it is about. Sure I know the colors and mood I want. Those mystical colors of the forest--the greys and taupes which have no name. The unexpected warmth of the rusts and yellows. The feeling of light and motion juxtaposed against the dark lines. A jazz composition in fabric determined by rules and sizes--riffs that I know as I discover the whole.

Each day I come home from work exhausted.  Trying to get it done for the Berkshire Craft Show this week-end. So many choices. So much careful detail to the colors and potentials of the fabric. Make what I know. Then stop and think. This is a quilt I can feel but not see. I know it is about the woods. Light in the forest I call it. A good title. I can see the motion--not sure how to get there. What does it mean?

Gradually I sew it together. How to get this line. This beat of the quilt.

I pin it to the design board. Do I want the lines to continue--is that the answer or is it too regular? What is the quilt about? These colors--where do they come from. Each one dictated by the last one. Haunting aren't they?

 

I change the quilt. Move the right hand side down a couple of inches. Sometimes I think better by actually moving the fabric if you know what I mean? There is a story here--but I must discover the words for it.

Yes that is better--more unexpected. Creates new lines. Amazing what a couple of inches can do isn't it? Makes the story complete.

Sew the quilt together. Hang it for a day. Let it age into place before the final finish. Try to learn what I was doing so I can make the next quilt. The colors brighter than the snapshot I take. Not muddy but complex.

 I think of the motion and colors of the quilt. The hike up Stratton Mountain. The constant stride--up and up we climb. Through the roots and rocks. Noticing the colors of the trees. The light that changes as we reach the summit. I wrote about it HERE.Yes, maybe that is the origin of the quilt. Not that this quilt is about hiking or Stratton Mountain. This quilt does not have a story but a mood and feeling.

How scary it is to work without that safety net. But also fascinating. Where will it lead? Do you ever work like this? What do you think?