You Wouldn't Think It, But...
One of the things that I most enjoy doing (beside taking photos and reading) is quilting. I love selecting the colors and patterns, and watching as each block comes together to form a beautiful quilt top that can then be painted with even more shapes and patterns through the quilting process. More so, though, I love the time I get to spend with my mom and the stories that form as we work on our blocks together.
I originally took up quilting because I enjoyed learning all of the domestic arts such as baking, crocheting, knitting, and all types of sewing. I wanted to be able to make all kinds of things to put into my hope chest so that when I did marry, I could furnish my home with things that I had made beautiful. As I learned, though, quilting because more and more about the art and act of making something useful that is beautiful. Then, a few years ago, my mother suggested we take a quilting class together…
I had a head start on her when it came to learning and knowing the basics. I’d already learned about 1/4 inch seams, rotary blades, and assembling simple blocks. I knew I’d have to help her out a bit, but, I wanted to spend the time with her- something that had been (and continues to be) in short supply since I’ve had the boys and my Grandma has grown older. So, we signed up for a Mystery Star Sampler class through Southwest Decoratives and Kokopeli Quilt Shop.
On the first day of class, I knew I’d found another place where my heart could live and learn. Liz- our teacher- has become a good friend over the course of the last couple of years, along with many of our classmates. But, even more importantly- to me at least- she has taught me a lot of lessons about patience, color theory, and composition, all things that apply directly to my photography skills. At the time, I’d been struggling to learn these exact lessons in my photography journey, and there they were staring me straight in the face, in a way that made sense.
Until I started taking formal quilting classes, I never would have thought that quilting had so much in common with photography, but it does. Both are forms of art that leave behind a legacy for other people to view and to enjoy. Both take time, practice, and patience to learn and to become proficient in. Both require knowledge of composition, color, pattern, and feeling. And both are forms of art that I love.
What form of art inspires you the most?