Multidirectional Happiness

Okay, yes, I’ve been going in multiple directions, and the Pod Project should probably be further along…but I’ve limited my art quilting/sewing to the Pod.  In the meantime I’ve also been busy with a woodworking project, experimenting with dying/stamping fabric, and putting together an Oaks hat.  The Oaks, for those not into horse racing, is held in Louisville, Kentucky, at Churchill Downs on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby (first Saturday in May – right around the corner), which you’ve probably heard of, and if you have, you may know there’s a whole “Derby hat” thing where women dress up and wear extravagant creations consisting of feathers, bows, flowers, and whatnot.  Sometimes men wear novelty hats and unusual outfits, but mostly it’s about the fancy women’s hats.

The Oaks has been growing in popularity for many years, and the hat tradition has been carried along with it.  A coworker asked that I put together a hat for her to match her dress, and here it is.

Oaks Hat

While I’ve “technically” not started another art quilting project besides the Pod, I have been backtracking to add some beads as embellishment for a project that spontaneously came together last month.  Here’s that project.  It wasn’t planned, but was the result of fabric dying experimentation.



Hand-dyed Batting - March 2011

The surface elements are scraps of cotton batting that have been dyed.  Part of the challenge I issued for myself was to use the shapes just as they were – no cutting, just arranging.  I was happy with the overall effect and combination of background and border batiks (the result of a bit of auditioning of fabrics), but it just didn’t seem “done” until I went back and added the gold beads (see detail photo).



Detail

Each gold bead is actually four different gold beads stacked and sewn on by hand.  I like the organized spacing and extra glitz they offer.  As far as the Pod, I tend to work on a timeframe that allows me to have something ready for my art quilt group on the third Monday of each month, so there’s still time, and I’m sure I’ll get it finished.  It’s further along than my last posting, and I’ll get those pictures out soon.

Given my recent multi-directional creative endeavors, here’s a happiness quote from a calendar my friend gave me, and this happens to be the quote for today:

“It is imperative to base your life on yourself, to take responsibility for your own happiness.” – Josei Toda

So, I’ll take ownership of the fact that I’m currently all over the place creatively, and that I’m still working to be disciplined to finish one (or two…) art quilting projects before moving on to the next…and I’ll be happy because, even though I’m going in multiple directions, the creativity makes me happy, and I’ve already learned the lesson that I create when I’m happy, and I’m happy when I create.

May you be happy in whatever you do.