I was trying to think of a story to tell that I might turn into a quilt but then I have been making lots and lots of fabrics, with some of my favourites being deconstructed screen printed, and I started to think I wonder what stories these will tell? Do you start with a fabric and let it tell you what to make, or do you have an idea in mind and look for the fabrics to make it come to life?
Either way the fabric ends up telling the story. I do both. I will have an idea and then think about my fabrics or go and make some specifically for the idea. Other times when I am playing and making fabric, I immediately know where a fabric will take me.
This piece called “Viral” was totally based on the fabric I produced which was a discharged piece of black fabric. I loved the fabric immediately it came out of the pot and I knew what I was going to do. I wish it was always that easy!
Whereas the piece on the bottom right called “Scorched Earth” came with the idea first and then a hunt through my fabrics to find what to use. I also made some specifically for the piece.
So how do you work? Fabric or idea? However, in the end it is the fabric that tells the story!
Sometimes I find the story AFTER a piece is made! I like to let the fabric tell ME the story! Weird ,I know
For me, what I would call a ‘serious’ piece, that begins with an idea and I look for the fabric I need to tell my story. The tongue incheek ones begin with sorting through my fairly large stash of novelty prints, thinking of a jingle, a phrase or an event. both ways are fun and require a lot of thinking and sorting and trial and error as a piece of fabric I thought would work definitely needs to go back into its color bin.