Gaps

I finished the quilt I started last month, but it took a 90 degree turn along the way.

This was the plan - a log cabin pattern with a tree silhouette appliqued on top, made from fabrics hand-dyed by Anne Alessi.

Once I had my strips cut, I decided I liked the look of them just like they were - lots of horizontal lines.  I even liked the color gradation I laid out.  However, just sewing them together like this seemed less than challenging.

It was around this time that I came across a TED Talk by Joe Kraus called Slow Tech.  It's about creating gaps in your life and not being constantly bombarded by stimulation.  At only 15 minutes long, I encourage you to create a gap so you can watch it.

People think they can multi-task and be efficient.  Science has proven that multi-tasking is impossible.  All you do is divide your distraction among multiple activities.  You become 10 IQ points dumber, and you're 40% slower than if you concentrated on just one task at a time.

Things have really gotten bad since smart phones got so popular.  Joe Kraus likens them to the intermittent payout of a slot machine.  Probably most of a person's messages aren't particularly important, but once in awhile there's one that's urgent or extremely rewarding, and that keeps people plugged in and checking a lot.

He's not suggesting you drop your smart phone, but he is suggesting that people try to find some balance.  It's in the gaps, like waiting in line or stopping when the light turns yellow instead of racing through the red, that peace and creativity come to you. 

So I decided that this quilt needed some gaps, both vertically and horizontally.

Some areas have a lot more gaps than others.

Here's the entire quilt.  It was a nice size to make - 36" wide and 27" tall.  I used both warm and cool colors to create a balance between excitement and serenity.  Plus the hand-dyed fabric was the perfect medium to express the "slow tech" concept.

The binding fabric looks like bubbles, which abound in gaps - think bubbling springs.

For the quilting, I did a slightly wavy line to soften all the rigid horizontal lines.  

The back - using up fat quarters.  The yellow looks like a simple roofed structure, providing some sanctuary.  Maybe it's because I'm tired, but those two borders at the top look like the sides of mattresses, just inviting a nice nap.  Now that's a worthy gap in your life!

The label is a log cabin; guess I had to work one in somewhere.