Sometimes we embark on an adventure, with certain expectations, and at some point we have to embrace the surprisingly enchanting reality or be limited by our expectations.
Sometimes we have an opportunity to experience a new way of doing things…as a quilter, as an artist, as a fabric lover…and we have a choice of making a breakthrough or clinging to the rigid familiar boundaries.
When is the last time you pushed yourself to jump off the metaphoric cliff and have an adventure without expectations, just to see what would happen?
It could be a travel adventure, a creative leap of faith, trying out a new technique or medium, or just removing the adjectives you use to describe yourself…and being a blank white sheet of paper.
My trip to Bali challenged my expectations, but it was a cleansing experience, and I feel like I pushed the Reset button on this trip. Our quilting industry sometimes seems oversaturated with an amazing amount of fabrics and products, but we still occupy a teeny tiny little sliver of the textile world.
After our group spent a morning in one of Princess Mirah’s batik factories, everyone came away with a greater appreciation for the multi-tiered handmade process that creates these gorgeous fabrics. I could see it in our group’s eyes – “WOW!” – and this was just for batiks that are made for the American quilt industry market.
After taking a class and using a handheld tool called a Tjanting to “draw” a batik resist image on a square of fabric, we all had a better appreciation for what it takes to create a hand-painted batik panel.
After visiting an ikat factory where we saw images created in the warp and weft threads through a resist method, then woven by hand on shuttle floorlooms, we began to truly think outside the box in terms of what textiles were precious, and what textiles could be used in quilts or other projects. Eventually we were all collecting 2 meter sarong pieces (prints, batiks and ikats) to bring home, for our own unique Bali-inspired quilts.
Theater costumes have always been a great inspiration for me, and we were fortunate enough to see 3 costumed dance performances on this trip. On our last day, Mirah’s nieces and nephews performed at the Karangasem Palace, in gorgeous costumes laden with gold metallic, beads and crystals, embroidery and pom-poms, and 3-D sculptural cut-outs. The children were 5-15 years old, and wore elaborate headpieces, with eye-popping dazzling fabrics. I don’t know who enjoyed the dance performance more – the children, or our group of intrepid traveling quilters!
The photo above shows 2 of Mirah’s nephews performing the traditional Baris dance, with the Gamelan orchestra in the background. After this we were treated to a purification ceremony, with the family resident priest. We had flowers tucked behind our ears, floral headbands and anointed foreheads, and holy water washing our faces heads and hands. Wearing our sarongs and flowers, I think we all pushed the Reset button that day.
* My thanks to Mirah, my fellow travelers, and Jim at Sew Many Places, for making this trip so special! *
How do you push the Reset button? Hiking in the mountains? Snorkeling on a reef? Cleaning your studio? Picking a color you hate and making a quilt you love?
Watching the Royal Wedding?
I know there is a lot of hype around Friday’s wedding, but behind the hype there is a family that is taking a big step forward on that day. My best London friend of 25 years was roommates with Diana’s older sister, so I have a more personal view of the event. I for one will be sharing the joy, and watching for Kate’s dress which is sure to spawn a huge trend in fashion, and perhaps a trend in fabrics too.
Thank you so much for sharing all your
trip photos. I can’t wait to see more.
Wow…those child looks so cute. And yes the article is also very interesting. Thanks for sharing it with us.