Words Make Me Happy!

You may not be able to tell from this blog that I like to talk. I mean the blog is only 11 days old today and it's already rolled over into an "older posts" page. That tickles me somewhat. I like to write and I like to visit with folks. I like to go to quilt shops, quilt shows and on quilt retreats. These things combine talking and visiting with quilting in some way or another. Two of my favorite things right there together at the same time!

When they truly combine -- with words on fabric or on quilts, I am overjoyed! It makes me unbelievably happy to see words on cloth. I don't know why, but it does. A few years ago I fell in love with a wall hanging for sale at the Houston Quilt Festival. I remember there were different yellows, whites, tans and beige in the background and black WORDS covered the quilt surface in a snippets of journal sort of way. I spent every free minute I had looking at that quilt because I couldn't afford to buy it and take it home with me. It opened up a need in my soul to add words to my quilted works. I have yet to do that. I kept thinking that I had to add them the way the quilt artist who made that particular quilt had done it. Then I started to see other quilt artist's quilts with words on them! Each one a joy to behold! I would study each technique they used and veto it for one reason or another. Not enough space in my house, the cat or dog could get into it, too costly, too hard to find the supplies out here in the country, you name it and something was wrong between each technique and myself. We just didn't click. I never gave up the hunt though. The idea has always simmered in the back of my mind. The need is still there.

Just last week I discovered the blog Spirit Cloth through the Artful Blogging Visually Inspiring Online Journals magazine (from Somerset Studio) on artistic blogs. Jude Hill is the author of the blog and the maker of the quilts shown on it. They are just beautiful! They speak to me in a way that no other quilts have done since that wall quilt at the Quilt Festival. I've read back through a lot of the blog entries so far, but not all the way -- yet. Some day I'll make it all the way to the first one. She adds words to her quilts and it's in a wonderful, artful, fairly simple way. I believe it's called couching. I'm going to try it soon. I think it may very well be another thing that will make me happy.