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I think it is interesting to see where artists work. The process of creating art
is such a mystery to so many people, that a glimpse into where the magic happens
is similar to being let in on a secret.
Well, here's my little corner of the world. I didn't start out this way, you could
say I worked my way up. First, I claimed a large corner of the basement rec room.
Lots of space, but I never found any time to go down there. The children were small
and all my free time was spent watching them or attending to their needs. After
analyzing the situation, I figured out that if I was to ever get anything done,
the work had to be where I was spending all my time so that I could go to it at
a moment's notice, in stolen minutes between the needs of young children.
So I moved the cradle out and put the table in. An old
child's school desk serves as my sewing table. It happened to be just the right
height and fit in the space under the window. I still had my fabric downstairs
and while it provided great exercise, it was not condusive to creativity. When
I outgrew the little bins that fit under my table, I went out and bought the only
thing I could find that I could move into the bedroom without my husband throwing
me and all my stuff out.....
Well it IS called a fabric stash, isn't it? (And you can
always iron fabric). I can sense some of you cringing right now, but keeping neat,
orderly piles of color coordinated fabric it just not a possibility for me at this
time, and even if it was, pulling fabric out of neat piles and obsessing about
getting them all folded and back into their proper place always stiffled my creativity.
I feel more like a kid at play when tossing and smushing the fabric.
The funny thing is that stashing it all in there the way
I do has expanded my creativity in the way I use and see fabric. When fabrics are
all jumbled together and constantly being rearranged, marvelous, unexpected color
and pattern combinations appear that you wouldn't normally create on your own.
A lot of my Fragments are created that way. I'll be gathering fabric for a new
project and toss a piece back in the pile. It will land on top of another piece
and WOW! - what a treat for the eye, and another Fragment is born. It's like being
a kid all over again, the joy of discovery and it keeps my eye fresh and my mind
open to new possibilities.
A lot of the work is done on my bed. I hang up the piece
I'm working on on a jerry-rigged pole hung from my armoire since I don't have a
design wall. At least I can get back far enough and view my work this way and
still be in the same room, ready to grab another piece of fabric off my bed - which
is my other main work space. At bedtime, I just scoop it all up and lay it on my
work table, which is really just a storage facility for works-in-progress, and then
hop in. My project is still right there on the armoire so I can work out design
problems as I settle in for sleep, and wake up to look at it with a fresh eye. And
no, my husband doesn't mind at all (as long as there are no pins left in the bed!)
I really like my set up. Of course I have never known any
other way to work, but it suits me. It's accessible, it still allows me to be
where I am needed and yet still create. I have learned to live with the interruptions
and the disarray because when I am creating, I am in a place inside where no one can
really touch. So why am I telling you all this, you may wonder? Well, the idea is
that if I can find the time and the space to create my dreams, anyone can. It's the
work that matters, that feeds the soul. It provides everything you need. If you
really want to create, nothing should stop you, especially space and time. So now,
why don't you go make something!
Create your own happiness.
©2003 Lesley Riley
www.lalasland.com
www.thequiltercommunity.com
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