Thursday, January 3, 2013

Do Not Conform: "Quilt" Art

Well as I have said, I got a sewing machine for Christmas. My sewing skills are, in a word, nonexistent.  I have limited patience for things and I am rather unconventional when it comes to things like measuring and following a certain way...but I really think I can work around this in the long run.

Mostly because I am rather innovative when I want to find a new way to do something.

I cut out a bunch of squares that were a bit bigger than an inch.  I say a bit bigger because they were the size of my snowman stamp.  Again, I am naturally unconventional.  I quickly realized that sewing all these little buggers together was going to be a straight up nightmare.  Cue me needing a new solution.  My decision was to pin the squares to a larger cut of fabric and sew with a decorative stitch.  I was not hugely precise in lining them up or things of that origin.

The point of this project was not only to make something I could use on of my favorite verses with, but also to practice some sewing.  I find that I learn things a lot better when I just jump in and start doing them.  By sewing this I was able to nail down some of the logistics I wanted to see for future projects.  I enjoy trial and error, personally.

So, I sewed almost all of the lines with light grey thread so that it blended in.  On the row and column with the pink square, I sewed those lines with pink.  I was really glad I switched thread colors because it got me really familiar with threading the bobbin and rethreading the needle.  My machine (Singer Curvy) is incredibly user friendly.

Then I used a sharpie and a couple of Bic Mark-its to write "Do not conform to the pattern of this world- Romans 12:2" around the outside of the frame. 

This is a verse I really think people should live by, and my reasons are reflected in the squares.  Now,  don't get my wrong, most of it was purely by chance and a complete lack of interest in perfection on my part.  When you stand out, for the right reasons, you stick out so much just like that bright pink square.  Especially from a female standpoint, when you are the one with higher standards, stronger morals, and goals in life you stand out from a vast majority of your boozy-floozy counterparts who really hope to accomplish nothing more in life than getting toasted on Spring Break.  When you make your focus in life the things that matter and the things that contribute to the greater cause, people take notice.

If you looked at these squares you would not that some are not sewn in perfect.  Some of the sides just did not get caught by the thread, mostly because someone went really fast while they pinned them in.  However, I see that a lot in life.  People try so hard to fit in to the mold that they were never meant to fit in that there are gaps or pieces missing or they are just barely hanging in.  Just because people around you are doing something, doesn't mean that you were meant to do it as well.  Nearly everyone around me in college goes out to bars multiple times a week, but it does not mean that it is a lifestyle in which I will ever fit.

It may seem strange to find so much of a deeper story behind a 5x7(ish) mat of squares.  By the way, I did have to cut my down substantially from the pinned picture to the framed picture to fit because I could not find a particular frame I was looking for in my frame box.  The point is, this verse means a lot to me, and the art that goes with it just happens to fit the situation perfectly.

And, it helps me practice my stitchery.  Which is completely what I will be calling it instead of sewing.  Stitchery is more interesting.  This will come with me to college and will sit on my window ledge near where my sewing machine will eventually find a home. It will remind me to be different, to be happy about it, and to think outside the box to avoid sewing way too many teeny tiny squares together.

Needless to say, I will NOT be taking up quilting.  Ever.

Happy crafting!

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