Last month, my daughter and I went to view the Fairey Exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. She bought along a artist's pad and sketched some fairly fast drawings. I have always admired people who can render likeness in this manner. This morning, I realized I sketch with my sewing machine. Years ago I would painstakingly draw designs on work with a 'removable' pen and sew along these lines. Then spend a good deal of time erasing them. Gradually I stopped, not even sure when. Now I just place my piece at needles point and start to quilt. This process is very intuitive. Sometimes I'm not crazy about what happens but more often then not, I have a sewn drawing that totally fits the piece. It is about trusting my experience and allowing that 'flow' to happen. Try it, sit down at your machine with a small piece and quilt. Watch out for wide smiles!
