I have a green room to putter in. My small room with its vaulted ceilings it is a wonderful place to be creative. Or it could be if it wasn’t filled to the brim with stuff and crap.
Most of that stuff is an un-organized mess with small mountains of fabric and buttons. I usually don’t hoard many supplies, because I try to use what’s available applying simplicity and restraint in my crafting habits. But even with that modus operandi the piles still grow.
Yesterday night I braved disaster and entered the room with new found determination to put things in their place. While peering beneath a stack, I discovered some of my old explorations which never made it into projects (or blog posts). Some of them just needed more work and experimentation, others looked like a mess. Some weren’t good ideas at all and looked as if a small animal with no opposable thumbs had accidentally played with my craft supplies.
Here are some of them: The image below (and top image left corner) shows a detail from an unfinished pillowcase. When I made it, the patchwork and wild fabric didn’t convince me, but when finding it yesterday, it didn’t look so bad after all. I’ll stuff it later today.
Below are some more experiments:
Next I found an Alabama Flower that although pretty, wasn’t pursued:
Then there were some “Scottish looking things”, pom-poms that were never cut open.
And last, but not least, here are some flowers I created that were inspired by a Japanese book. Inspired is key here, had I just followed directions, well….who knows?
But if there is no error, there is no creativity, right?
Everybody who makes things by hands has trial and error pieces; teaching relics on a path to more experimentation.
My green room still desperately deserves more attention. I’ve only made a little dent in the task at hand. So one day soon I will enjoy a cup of tea in my newly organized creative think-space.
Nice to see your experiments. I actually like some of them the way they are. I think the uncut pompom flowers have a tartan feel and would be nice on a coat or heavy sweater as a brooch. I also like the petaled flowers, especially the suedey looking one. I have some suede cloth in a color similar and may venture out to recreate on.
And cleaning, well we all need motivation to do that, don’t we? Thanks for the reminder.
Sooooo glad that you are back blogging again.
Thanks so much! The suedey looking flower is actually made from a beautiful old golden velvet and is also one I like. I also think the uncut pompom flowers are the ones with the most potential. After modifying them slightly, maybe lots of them would make an interesting no-knit scarf?
Aaaaahh unfinished inspirations! I have many of those – some are physically unfinished and I find them years later tucked away in a box or cupboard and some stay unfinished in my mind ……. yes they clutter up both spaces! I also have loads of unstarted inspiration that never make it from mind to hand but I guess I mentally build on those and eventually they morph into a whole new idea!!
Our inner creativity, no matter how it expresses itself, is amazing, no?
Oh yes, our inner creativity/life is amazing, indeed. I have a small museum in my head where I curate unfinished projects and future installations. It’s fascinating how much creativity (expressed internally or externally) reflects on who we are.
Isn’t it nice to find beauty, something you love in a project that you once looked upon with critical eyes? I love organizing my craft stuff and finding bits of old projects. I think it would make a gorgeous installation at an art gallery- or a show- pieces of abandoned projects. I think I’ve said it before but I will say it again…I am so happy you are blogging again. If comparing blogs to magazines- I’d compare yours to looking at a great magazine with nice paper, great artsy photos, interesting articles the kind of magazine you keep forever because you’ll go back to it and because it makes you smile to see it on your coffee table. So grateful you are sharing your talents and your view again!
Thanks so much for your nice words. I agree, it’s interesting to be connected to one’s process when finding abandoned projects, because it reminds you how (and why) intention and outcome are often in conflict. I think creativity is in flow, when the obstacles on the way can be transformed and integrated into a new piece. I love the idea of a show with abandoned projects. Wouldn’t it be interesting to also examine the moment when a project was abandoned and why?
Having just recently repurposed a room for my creative space, I am freshly in process too. It’s interesting to me what I display or hang on the wall when I have no restraints or considerations for anyone else’s taste or needs. Will you have a work table for your space? That is almost the most inspiration I need – a large blank expanse with every possibility ahead!
My room is still in distress. I dream of a large work surface too, but I’m not sure if a table works for me. I usually work on the floor and the room is not big enough for a big table. I had one before and couldn’t work on it, because all my “stuff” would always sit on top of it. Then I moved onto the living room floor and had all of us dragging sewing thread through the house. Back to the green room, I’ll just clear the floor, because I like working on the ground. When it stops being comfortable, there is always a yoga class to go to, yes?