Thursday, December 20, 2018

Process or Product? Yes.

     When I was an art teacher, the other teachers in the district said it was process not product that mattered. Made me crazy. Process and product is what creating is all about. I was concerned about a decent result for student effort, but also wanted to train them in art techniques/skills. The other teachers were more interested in letting everyone doing their own thing. Funny, we don't tolerate that in learning how to read or playing in a band or cooking or banking. I always think you need to learn basic techniques and ideas and then the creativity was in putting your own spin on them and persevering to the finish. Especially beginners need some basics to gain some traction or they thought they weren't "talented" (cringe) and quit. I still believe that. It is one reason my co-chair and I spend a day every week planning our program every month for our guild. We strive to give them tools to further their quilting and ideas, especially when it is new or something frustrating comes up. To problem solve and finish well.
     So, today I had to grab myself by the collar and push myself to solve a problem that I had created. Although my mother does not quilt, she can sew straight(ish) seams. She is always asking me to give her something to sew because she is bored. Takes me as long to prep it as it takes her to push it through the machine. I had given her the pieces for MSQC's Katie's Quilt to sew and now I was faced with sewing the connecting blocks, trimming and the flip-and-sew black triangles. I made the quilt once (gave it away-comfort quilt) and found I had enough 5" squares to do another. I forced myself to sew and when I put it on the wall, I hated it like I did before because it seems truncated.
Excuse the poor photo, the sun actually came out today and through the window.
      Ok, I could slap the borders on and be done with it and just grit my teeth. Then I took my mom out for lunch for her birthday today and listened to her nattering nabobs of negativity for hours (dating myself, remember Spiro Agnew?). With a headache when I got home, I decided to exercise positive feats and try extending the design by adding points at the edge.
      Hmm, much better. So I found the original white on white, Accucut some more black triangles, did some math and added a pointed border all around.
      Oh, much better. Even though the fabric and design aren't my favs, I used some of my skills to persevere, change it up, and make it better. I could have (wanted to) bailed earlier, but that is what process and product can do when they work in harmony. Now I have to find a color border to go all around, I am thinking about a 6" one.

14 comments:

Quiltdivajulie said...

It is about the process but it is also about the product. Interesting thought-provoking post (and I DO like they way you solved your problem).

Mystic Quilter said...

Definitely truncated in your first photo but looking a treat with the makeover in the last photo.
I agree with Julie on your thought provoking post, a post which also made me laugh with your description of how this quilt came to be and your lunch with your mother!

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Thanks for a very thought provoking post. I personally don't care that much about the final "product" - I enjoy the "process". Having learned basic skills and a variety of techniques through the years - I also enjoy learning new ones. My focus/goal is to enjoy the time I spend putting something together - and figuring out something new - not to add "another" one to the pile to look at or to give away. I have a number of UFOs - since actually "finishing" one is not really a priority. For me - the fun is in the "journey" - not the "destination". Another finished quilt?? - Yeah, sure - been there - done that - LOL - ;))

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

When left to answer the question... process or product? I want to answer the process, but when I have a 'finished' product, I find I can see and feel the process in the product. So BOTH is the answer for me. Sometimes it is just to say I did it and done, as you describe above; and other times it is a celebration of it all coming together! Merry Christmas!

Dre in PA said...

It is amazing how adding the black points shifted the focus from the white to the black. Great improvement!!

Debbie said...

I love/enjoy sometimes the process but want a finish to be happy with. I don't have to be perfect but it better be worth the effort....or out it goes! So I love your solution......the added points make a huge difference in the project and pushing the design you used your process knowledge. Well done. For the border I would add a narrow one and then a larger for a total of 6 ''.

JustCallMeElle said...

I very much like your solution to the quilt. It really does make it a more cohesive whole.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on process vs product.

Sarah said...

Those points certainly make a big change!

And, I agree, it's all of it.

Tracy said...

I had a discussion with my daughters HS Art teacher about this very thing. Processes can vary, especially with differently abled people. My daughter traces and copies pictures and other art, adding color and textures to it. The teacher wanted my DD to come up with paintings and drawings using images from her own mind. After I spoke to her, she understood and my daughter greatly enjoyed the rest of the class. Yes, she didn't create the original art, but her process is a way for her to express her creativity.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

It is definitely better with the points added. It was worth going the extra mile to make it look finished.

Jan said...

Interesting thought process! I've never thought about art that way, and never applied it to quilting. Great post. Thank you for all you do for our guild!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

It's fun to learn new techniques and try them out. We might not use them immediately, but, sometime down the road that technique will come in handy again. I like the star points in the border. Now it looks 'finished'. 3 of us in my little guild are always looking for new techniques to teach to the other ladies as our program each month (too small to afford paid speakers). Usually someone comes to the next meeting with something that they made using one of the techniques. I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

Preeti said...

Love it. Definitely the added points make it "complete"
This can be an awesome scrapbuster.

Bookkeeping said...

There are much of things that can be learned from your blog. It's a real pleasure to read your posts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!