I often pile fabrics to audition for future work. While I design spontaneously I like to let the cloth ‘ferment’ for awhile before I dig in. Sometimes I will have 3-4 different combinations stacked on any flat surface in my studio.
A trip to Japan in 2002 yielded a giant suitcase full of vintage kimono and contemporary Shibori dyed fabrics. I have sewn & shared and still there was lots. Old friends went to Japan & brought me even more. Eventually I decided I really wanted to clear my stash of the majority of these small pieces and so the indigo pile began.
Months ago Japanese fabrics began to accumulate on a corner of my design table. As I have worked through other potentials I just kept ignoring this one stack of indigo. I moved it around the table to accommodate other works in progress as my interest it waned.
Until…last week when I started putting the pieces up on the wall at random and voila! it was time for mood indigo…Upheaval #11 I love the contrast between the orderly Japanese culture and the random edges of this series
Previously I thought all my work must be done before surgery as I am unsure when I will be able to stand at my design wall again. Today I realized I need my vacation mentality… to have work waiting for me to get the juices flowing again. I need stacks of inspiration encouraging me to move forward. For me a blank wall is disaster and one of the reasons I always leave a piece of fabric hanging on my design wall.
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