About me
The Cursing Crafter?
I have always loved sewing, quilting, painting and “crafting”. But I’m not your stereotypical crafter. I don’t have kids – I don’t even like kids – I don’t like scrapbooking, I don’t wear quilted or appliqued clothing, and I don’t wear dangly earrings. I am a criminal defense attorney who curses a lot. My sisters and brother have often told me that if Martha Stewart and a truckdriver had a kid, that kid would be me.
When I tell people I quilt, I get strange stares. I have to show them the quilts I make for them to actually believe me. But I really do love art and over the years I have become braver in terms of what I will make or try. I’ve started to create art quilts, and Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), and I’ve tried to include more mixed media in my artwork. Sometimes it takes several “drafts” of something before I get it right. Those drafts are often gifts for my closest friends because they appreciate my efforts, even if my efforts do not produce something “perfect”.
Over the years I’ve learned that nothing I make is going to be perfect – and that’s the beauty of it. Art does not need to be symmetrical or exact because the humans who create it are not symmetrical or exact. If you want something perfect, create it with Photoshop.
However, I don’t think you can create any kind of art without getting frustrated, either because what you are trying to make looks like shit, or the instructions you are trying to follow make no sense. And sometimes you just stare a blank page and can’t figure out what you want to do. Combine that with the limited time we all have to actually create our art and well, sometimes things just don’t end well.
Which is why every once in a while I just yell ”FUCK!” and get up and storm out of my sewing room. Yes, creating art can be relaxing and satisfying blah blah blah , but sometimes it just makes you want to scream.
One of the frustrating aspects of creating art is that with the Internet there is an overwhelming number of ideas and patterns out there. It is easy to spend days just looking at things you want to make, but never actually making them. And never mind all the websites out there that sell things you just must have in order to make your art – fabric, ribbons, paint, notions, sewing machines . . .
It is also frustrating when you find a cool idea on a website somewhere and you bookmark it, and then later you can’t find it because you have so many damn bookmarks. Even more frustrating is when you find an idea and you make the project, but notice either glitches in the instructions, or come up with a better idea. There is no where in your bookmarks to take notes. Some artists keep journals, but since I am a self-proclaimed computer geek, I decided to start a blog to help me keep track of the ideas I liked. A blog allows me to keep notes and photos, as well as upload patterns and include links to other sites. It is my virtual journal, and unlike a traditional paper journal, I can easily share mine with the world. I always give credit to the original artist or website where I find my ideas and provide linkbacks as well.
Not that I expect more than a few of my friends to actually read this blog – and then only when they are really bored.
It would be fantastic if others found my blog helpful or inspiring. Of course, some might not like all that cursing, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about that.
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~ The Cursing Crafter