Some of you had commented on my Polka Dot Garden design. I confess; I am a doodler. I get a thought in my head and immediately have to scratch it out on paper somewhere.
I have zero artistic ability so it is hard for the normal person to decipher my ideas. If I wait too long I can lose it in translation myself. Polka Dot Garden came about a few years ago when I heard the quote from Grandma Moses – Life is what you make it always has been always will be. I immediately thought that if I had to choose my life would be one big happy polka dot garden and then I put it on paper. That is as far as it has gotten. Another recent doodle comes from that silly show “Even Stevens” on the Disney Channel. Louis Stevens said “If a chicken had lips could it whistle”? I could not get that out of my mind. So my interpretation was doodled out on paper. Not showing this one as you couldn’t tell my chicken from an apple. Our guild has a challenge every other year. Our challenge for the year 2008 is to make a house quilt. I really didn’t plan on participating but a few weeks ago I saw a sign in a shop that read “home is where your story begins”. I jotted it down and within minutes had my challenge quilt scribbled out on an index card I had in my purse. Of course these are just working ideas, but I thought I would show you how my mind works. I think it would be funny to have one “big” Tonya style wonky house with the saying above it. Then my family’s names, etc. ending with and they lived happily ever after.
I have a whole book of doodles. Sometimes I try to re-draw them into bigger doodles, other times I just tape the post –it or checkbook deposit slip that has been drawn on right into the book.
I have always been a lover of words. As a young girl I would check poetry books out of the library and the write my favorite poems down into notebooks then I would carry them around with me and read the poems over and over. I then moved on and started buying books, my favorite at the time was poet Rod McKuen. I know this sounds silly, but I always have had a fascination with words. I am finding that the majority of quilt designs I doodle out are based upon a saying I have heard or a song I have heard. Okay I will stop here as I am sure this is more then you ever wanted to know about my little doodles.
I have zero artistic ability so it is hard for the normal person to decipher my ideas. If I wait too long I can lose it in translation myself. Polka Dot Garden came about a few years ago when I heard the quote from Grandma Moses – Life is what you make it always has been always will be. I immediately thought that if I had to choose my life would be one big happy polka dot garden and then I put it on paper. That is as far as it has gotten. Another recent doodle comes from that silly show “Even Stevens” on the Disney Channel. Louis Stevens said “If a chicken had lips could it whistle”? I could not get that out of my mind. So my interpretation was doodled out on paper. Not showing this one as you couldn’t tell my chicken from an apple. Our guild has a challenge every other year. Our challenge for the year 2008 is to make a house quilt. I really didn’t plan on participating but a few weeks ago I saw a sign in a shop that read “home is where your story begins”. I jotted it down and within minutes had my challenge quilt scribbled out on an index card I had in my purse. Of course these are just working ideas, but I thought I would show you how my mind works. I think it would be funny to have one “big” Tonya style wonky house with the saying above it. Then my family’s names, etc. ending with and they lived happily ever after.
I have a whole book of doodles. Sometimes I try to re-draw them into bigger doodles, other times I just tape the post –it or checkbook deposit slip that has been drawn on right into the book.
I have always been a lover of words. As a young girl I would check poetry books out of the library and the write my favorite poems down into notebooks then I would carry them around with me and read the poems over and over. I then moved on and started buying books, my favorite at the time was poet Rod McKuen. I know this sounds silly, but I always have had a fascination with words. I am finding that the majority of quilt designs I doodle out are based upon a saying I have heard or a song I have heard. Okay I will stop here as I am sure this is more then you ever wanted to know about my little doodles.
16 comments:
I might be stealing your idea... I love that quote "Home is where your story begins" and a house is perfct with that!
I was reading someone elses ideas on "home" just the other day, so this is very timely for me...
I think you are INCREDIBLY artistic. In the world of doodling--- you get the Oscar....In today's working world, you have to write things down, because there just aren't enough hours in the day for the artistic work.
You're not silly and I also, am a "lover of words" and a phrase puts a picture in my head. My doodles look like yours. I thought I was the only one with doodles on bank slips! LOL. love your idea for the challenge you should definitely do it!
I think your idea is really good and you should do it. The wonky houses and words are so much fun too.
You are so AMAZING!
Words are just wonderful - finding new ones is a treat. I used to carry a little notebook in my wallet to jot done fun words and phrases. I wonder where that is . . . I should find it and start carrying it again.
Fascinating insight into your design process! Not a bit bored with your ramblings! I'd love to see more of the doodles. I love words, but they don't ever bring pictures into my mind for some reason, so this was really interesting for me to read.
If you are silly, then so am I. Words are powerful and inspirational too. I love your idea for the challenge. So many people will have a positive connection to your theme.
I recently participated in a 9 Patch Pizzazz workshop and used a bunch of my "music" fabric. The quilt center is bussssy so I used tone on tone for the borders. It looks ok but just wasn't finished, if you know what I mean. A week or so ago I ran across this quote, so now it's just a matter of figuring out how best to add it to the border. "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!"
Your doodles are great! I hope to see some of them made into quilts!
I doodle all the time, on the phone, even on the computer! I have blocks drawn all over and quilts made on thousands of pieces of paper!
I love your doodles. I enjoy hearing the inspiration behind quilts and their design process adn it will be even more intriguing now to see this quilt as you make it and how close it ends up to this initial design.
I do the same thing, although lots of times I don't have the layout down. I'll doodle the block ideas and write out words and possible words and do a lot more babbling.
Thanks for sharing your creative process. I'm always interested in learning how others create.
I have always been fascinated by words too. Books and word puzzles were my toys of choice growing up.
These days I'm more inspired by my feelings. I'm not sure I could explain, but perhaps I should give it try sometime.
I like quotations and sayings, and am always writing them down. Usually in my signature line on the emails, also on the dry erase board, sometimes I sent a quotation of the day to my friends, and of course, my inspirational quilt.
That is a nice saying and so true - Home is where your story begins.
I also still have all my favourite poems that I hand copied into a very tiny little book. I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Isn't it funny where life takes us.
I think starting with words or phrases is a wonderful start to a project! I too have a little book that I use to "collect" doodles...this past weekend I sketched the woodcarvings from the wall in the tea room - they would make a great quilting design. Take inspiration where you find it!
Your doodling is great. Probably the *only* thing I miss about staff meetings, now that I'm retired, is that I don't have time to doodle. =)
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