the pile method

I finally feel like I've gotten my mojo back.

While there's been work trickling out of the studio, there's not really been a big rush of new work. Things have been small, sort of tentative. Problem is that I'm in the mood to enter shows again and with no new work really coming forward, that likelihood of that was looking pretty slim.

Sure, I've got enough work to send out but I'd like new stuff. I'm sure the shows would as well.

I decided that it was time to do what I call the pile method. Basically all it is is making tops that will grow into a pile of work that requires nothing more then endless hours of hand stitching and fussing -- still lots of work but in all honesty, once the foundation is done, I find the rest of it very relaxing. So sitting at my work table stitching is the easy part.

I personally have trouble getting a good groove going when I have to take a project from start to finish all at one time. Some of my favorite pieces were done during a pile run. So I've designated this week for nothing but tops.

I've got five done so far:



Well, six if you count my piece for the latest 12 Connected challenge. As I can't show you the whole thing (have to save that for reveal day on April 1), I can show you a bit of it (its actually much farther along then this):


I'm not really sure if I'm feeling the love for it but as its a really small format (11"x17") I can toss it aside and do a new one if I just can't live with it. I'll decide in the next day or two as time is ticking away. Mom asked me why I didn't like it and I said I wasn't sure about the colors (the challenge is to use bright bold colors which is sooooo not typical for me). She looked at me sideways and said, "You know, there are other colors outside of brown and orange..."

Point taken...what can I say? I'm an earth tone girl...

It was the fifth trial piece I made in an effort to find my groove with the random piecing I've fallen in love with.

I tried using the sewing machine. Really I did. But honestly? It didn't feel like me. I've been puttering away with little study pieces and I uploaded them to my website (never published it so don't go looking for it there, you won't find them) and it just didn't jive at all.

It wasn't rough enough (I do love me some raw edges) and try as I did, I couldn't find my hand in them. I didn't really want to give up the whole notion, though, because I think its intriguing.

I made these two tops today (yes, they're brown and orange and earthy...shut up):




Verdict? Unsure. Still have no clue how to finish them. All I do know is that I want to make more. I want to keep going. And hopefully once I've made a billion of them, I'll have figured out how in the hell to stitch them (they'll be stitched by hand).

Speaking of shows, I got word the other day that three of my pieces were accepted into A Stitch Apart, an exhibit being put on by EastEnd Studio & Gallery in Marshall, Michigan. I'm wanting to show more locally so that makes me happy. I'll bundle those up and send them on their way this week.

And just because the crazy train was passing by my front yard, I decided to jump on and commit to working on something for Quilt National. It may not go well. I may decide to set it on fire. If it sends me over the edge, I'm taking you all with me. And the exciting thing is that you'll get to listen to me talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk about it and never ever see a single picture of it. (Their rules, not mine.)

My goal is to make at least one top a day for the rest of the week. I'm hoping for two but there is still the tearing apart of the house going on. We decided to go ahead and deal with other areas of the house that are needing some attention and just get it all over with. Its the ultimate spring cleaning and will be lovely when its done.