Pages

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Block #2 in The 2020 Crazy Quit Challenge

Block two is ready to be stitched and embellished to the ninth degree...I am looking forward to embellishing this block with stitch and beading this go round. Below is the finished block #1 after the backing fabric was added. There will be more stitched to this as the blocks are put together at a later date. I have ten more blocks cut out and ready to start stitching on. Each block will be completely hand stitched from start to finish. No machine work at all for these blocks. That is my personal challenge for this project. Now, lets get a cuppa and start stitching on block two!
I love how this block turned out...I do want to address something here though...I posted this block on a site and a comment was made that really irked me and it takes a lot to irritate me, but this comment did. Here is what the person wrote in the comments section "I love that you are doing all by hand. I wonder if the white piece might look better tea dyed to off set the starkness...just sayen" Those are her exact words...first if you cannot say something nice, don't leave a comment. Don't start out nice and then be critical. Secondly its not your block and you have no idea why the little doily was left white. Thirdly negative comments no matter how nicely couched are hurtful, so don't write them. I did comment back that the little doily was my grans, therefore I did not want to change the look of it. I know how stark it stands out against all the color. This is not my first experience with crazy quilting. I have been crazy quilting since the early 90's and have a great understanding of color and blending as I also come from a long line of artists. At the same time, this block holds special meaning with my nod to my gran. I don't need to tone down the starkness of the doily to fit in with the block. It fits perfectly on the block. Why would I want to change something that holds special meaning to me? I wouldn't. I did not ask for constructive criticism on this block. I did not ask for someone else's idea of perfect for my block. Yes, I could have put this on a white on white block or toned it down to blend better with the glorious color on the block, but then it would have changed the meaning of the doily. My gran was a prolific sane quilter and I am sure she would love this little nod to her. I inherited this doily when I was in my early 20's. I have kept it as pristine as the day it was given to me. No way was I going to change a precious item that was my grans. The white speaks of the starkness of loss that is inherent in all the colorful ways life interacts with us on a daily basis. My gran was a most lovely lady and loved us all with a very big heart. When she passed, she left a starkness in our lives that can never be filled by anyone else. As I said before, the white doily has meaning to me and I am fine with the starkness of the white on all the color. The only opinion that matters at the end of the day is mine anyhow. I just had to get this off my chest and as this has been a very hard day as today is my dads birthday and the first one since his death. And I am sure that the little nods that I put into this crazy quilt for those who have gone on will puzzle some people to no end. But, at the end of the day as long as I know why it is there and what the reasoning is behind it is all that matters. Oh, there will be more of these precious stark white doilies in this quilt, just so you know! :)

3 comments:

simplestitches said...

love your crazy blocks! yes negative comments irk me too! there is no need for them...keep on doing what you love, as in the long run its what matters to you, not everyone else.

Anthea said...

Wendy I'm so sorry to read of this upset... it's so true, sometimes people just don't think about the potential impact of their words... the author of that comment clearly was thinking about their own preferences, rather than your intentions with your piece & how you will evolve your project.
My friend you just carry on being the very clever, creative & inspiring stitcher that you are, & enjoy the process of this very special project.

Karen said...

you just keep doing what you are doing Wendy....this is beautiful. Embroidery is very personal, the choices we make, the threads and cloth we choose. I do know exactly how you feel and why you had to get it off your chest. I only see perfect beauty here xxx

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails