We need to nurture and cultivate our creativity, like a gardener cultivates his flower and vegetable gardens to help them grow. I believe we all have a creative side, we just need to take the time to help it grow and bloom.
Like a writer who gets writer's block, I believe quilters and artists can become stagnant and develop artist's block. This is when we need to cultivate our creative side, start fresh with something new to get us excited and get those juices flowing. When my battery has run low and needs a jump start I try a new technique.......this time instead of creating with textiles.........I chose paper.
Paper Horses
Click Images to Enlarge
The photo above was taken with a flash. This is not the true color. The color is washed out from the flash. However, the flash photo is a better representation of the quilted affect I achieved layering the paper onto batting and backing fabric and free-motion quilting all over it. You can see how the recessed background areas behind the horses have made the horses come forward and puff out a bit. I like this.
This photo was taken without a flash, just some lighting from the side. This is the true color of the paper horses, and you can see the actual stitching lines from the quilting in more detail.
This afternoon project was just what I needed. I found a horse book at the thrift store for one dollar. I brought it home and cut out all the images that caught my eye. This part of the process was the most fun.........I think because I felt as if I was doing something that I shouldn't be doing...........it was so therapeutic. It was especially joyful to listen to the needle popping in and out of the paper as I sewed through it. I highly recommend this technique........it is a wonderful release.
I found a video tutorial on youtube that is similar to how I created this paper quilt. If you are interested click here to view it. I chose to sandwich my paper horses with batting and fabric backing and machine quilt through all three layers and bind it.
I hope you will give this a try...........cultivate your creativity and help it grow.
To see more tutorials CLICK HERE
I'll sign off for now......I have books to cut up and sew,
LuAnn