I remember my grandparents cautioning me as a child how fast time passes when you’re an adult. Well, ain’t that the truth! As a middle aged woman, I find myself reflecting on this warning and what I can do to make time feel more abundant. A big hurdle for me has been overcoming the notion that maximizing time correlates with hyper productivity. This is especially true when it comes to my creative endeavors, namely those long term projects that cannot be completed quickly. Sometimes this judgy, prickly little feeling akin to guilt creeps in and says “should you really be doing that when you haven’t finished all of these?”. Like the popular Boulder/Berkeley/choose-your-own-hippie-haven bumper sticker says “Don’t believe everything that you think”.
In an attempt to better understand my relationship with time, and specifically deducing what deserves my attention in a world full of deadlines, pings, notifications and breaking news, I have sought highly recommended books on the subject of slowing down. Currently I am midway through How to do Nothing – Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. One of the more intriguing points that she makes is how this urge to slow down and capture time has been around since the earliest philosophical recordings. If the Ancient Greeks were feeling the pressure against time, then modern people cannot blame technology and our culture of immediacy. It seems like it is a very human desire to want more time.
Some of my best creative outputs happen when I make with absolutely no plan whatsoever. This is when I sit down and start generating something, letting my intuition and the tunes on my stereo guide me along. Often these pieces are smaller and take a couple of records to create. It is these quilts that are memorable because they are a very pure expression of myself and a particular moment. It is also in this creative place where I feel I have some semblance of control over time. When I spend my precious time fully absorbed in a creation, time feels as if it expands instead of contracts.
For this smaller piece, I dug into my bin of naturally dyed fabrics, grabbed a few Revivalists cds and got crafting. I started my design by selecting fabrics in color combinations I find soothing. The dye sources are: pomegranate rinds for the peachy hue, dried huckleberries for the blue hemp fabric, avocado pits for the pink stripe, powdered turmeric for the bright yellow, yellow onion skins for the orange, black beans for the light blue and red onion skins for the olive green backing. The process was as simple as slicing and rearranging everything into a pleasing arrangement, while jamming along to my tunes. After completing the piece, I sent along a photo to my quilt vetter Amanda (one of the friends I swap process pics with) who exclaimed, “Awesome sunrise and sunset!”. Well, would you look at that happy accident! I honestly did not see this motif until her feedback. Gee, thanks subconscious for guiding me in that direction.
Although this quilt design is completely a product of the tunes on my stereo, the finished hand quilting is completely a product of silence. Hand quilting provides an overall extra organic texture while also being very meditative. After all of the rocking out, I was ready for some decompression and thoughtful stitching. For this piece, I used a thicker thread (12 wt) and a utility sized needle as I had trouble threading this through a quilting eye. I once heard, don’t remember where, that the ideal stitch length is about the size of a rice grain. Due to the thicker thread and bigger needle, these stitches are a bit larger than usual, so we’ll just call these a mix of jasmine and basmati rice. Taking the time to make these stitches in relative silence also allowed me the chance to reflect on the natural dye process and enjoy the uh, pun unintended, fruits of my labor. Hemp fabric is so delightful to stich on, too.
By now we are all fully aware of the concept of binge watching, but I am a big proponent of binge listening. Sometimes I just crave a big dose of one artist to really satiate myself. Oftentimes one album just isn’t enough, right? And yes, I crave music like food. This quilt was all made to The Revivalists, a New Orleans band that in the last couple of years has captured a little slice of my heart. The Revivalists sound like where they are from: heartfelt, funky, deep and soulful. Their lyrics are very sincere and humane while also being musically very grand, layered and approachable. (By approachable, I don’t necessarily mean “commercial”, it is that I recommend their music to basically everyone, unlike some of my more eclectic musical affinities, i.e musical saws.) This quilt’s namesake the “Other Side of Paradise” is not their most rocking tune, nor even my absolute favorite song. However something about this song really struck me while I sewed this quilt; it made me want to lie down in a sunbeam on the grass and let the notes infuse my body. You know those songs, the powerful ones that hit you on a cellular level. Oh, and not to mention this song has a killer build up! I am a complete sucker for a good build up — it is my equivalent of the roller coaster hill. If you’re not familiar with The Revivalists, I recommend them to anyone seeking some sonic joy.
I feel privileged to grow old, despite the stiffening joints and hearing the word “bifocals” at my eye exam. Even if it means time will continue to move faster with each passing year. The reality is that I have strategies that maximize my time and it doesn’t always mean that I am the most productive. Divorcing my creativity from the notion of productivity (in the capitalist sense) is important and necessary. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures (reading is still reading!) or feeling bad about how I choose my time. After all, it is up to us to utilize where we expend our energy and our precious time. Making this little quilt gift was a wonderful chunk of time that felt more spacious than it actually was. Now after providing me with the gift of time well spent, Other Side of Paradise the quilt will go on to live its best quilt life in a mediation space for someone who constantly demonstrates that time is what you make of it.
Lastly, speaking of how time flies — happy 3rd birthday to Quiltunes! Blog years must be akin to dog years, because it feels like this has been a part of my life for so much longer. Thanks to all of you who read and support this humble little endeavor of mine. I am forever grateful to you.
Albums listened to: The Revivalists Vital Signs, Take Good Care and City of Sound.
Quiltunes 