Quilts to Trade!

First order of business….

I have organized my quilt pictures to a degree….

An album has been created on my Photobucket site that ONLY has pictures of quilts that are completed, in my stash and that I am able to part with. 

For those who haven’t heard my complaints… I do not sell my quilts.  Generally, their value is not known to those outside the art/craft world and I have had way too many bad experiences with people who think that Wal-Mart bedding sets compare to a handmade quilt. 

“You should charge less because you like to do this”

“I can buy a full set of sheets and a comforter at Wal-Mart for 39.99”

“Fabric doesn't cost that much”

Etc.

Etc.

However…

I love to trade my quilts with people who appreciate them and have a similar product that is also undervalued.  Artists and craftspeople are my favorite barter partners.  I have put together the album so that I have a single link that I can present to potential trade partners.

The album is here.

Cold Connections Class

Trading quilts segues into me talking about the class that I took at the Studio at Rush Creek a couple days ago – “Stamped and Riveted Pendant.”

How does it relate?  I’ll get there…. Let me tell you about the class first.

What I want to talk about mostly are the people in the class.  This class was mostly women with a lot of experience in various art forms – jewelry/beads/etc.  I knew one from several classes and I think I recognized a couple others (I am so BAD with faces).  I was absolutely THRILLED to be treated as an artist by other people present!

First story:  Karen (not the studio owner) is someone who I took at class with AND also got tapped to give her a private lesson on the glass powder crackle technique (I think I mentioned that here).  She asked me about working with her on my “quilting on glass” technique!  She made the comment that her art is so undisciplined and mine is quite discipline; that she wants me to demonstrate how I do that. 

Let me try to explain why this thrilled me SOOOO much.  I have an inferiority complex about my art.  I cannot draw, I cannot copy still life to paper, I do not have a lot of what I call “unique ideas”.  I refer to Brandie as being far more an “organic” artist than I am, and I see that as true art.  I am geometric, I copy, I steal and adapt, I do the same thing over and over again – changing a few colors, positions, etc.  In some ways, I do not regard that as “art.”  Quilting and now fused glass – where I can make squares and be technical has been so enjoyable to me.

But, how does that translate to the rest of the world as art.

Well, given that my skills are admired and desired… obviously it does translate positively!!

Second Story:  The teacher of the class is an established artist; someone who I see in that “organic” world of art.  She teaches a lot, and sells pieces. 

First, let me tell you my “bad” actions…..

I’m enthusiastic… I am also “clueless” in a lot of communication/interaction things.

Social awkwardness and inability to read people/situations is a core of my being.  It is also something I am well aware of, working on in therapy and trying to adjust.  That awareness – I think – makes me a bit easier to take some days.  However, I know that I run roughshod over people, interrupt, and do not always function in my “place.”

I had been at the studio the week before this class and I had played with the stamps, flame treated copper, bronze AND nickel, and had copious amounts of little samples and test pieces that I brought to the class.  Several times, when people asked things like “what happens when you flame treat bronze”, I didn’t wait for the teacher to respond, but interrupted with “I’ll show you”.

Now, on one hand, it was a higher level class, and I was interacting and showing things that she did NOT have samples of herself, but on the other hand – I should have waited for more cues.  I was a little afraid that I offended her, but it did not show, and I think that the class ended with her having some positive feelings for me/my work.

I would like to think that artists recognize each other, and realize that personalities in the art world are unique and that socialism is different.  It’s not the highly defined and unspoken social rules that exist in the work place, high school, and other places with a larger contingent of “normal” people.

 After two hours of class, and me putting together a variety of things, Julie (the teacher) asked me if I did most of jewelry in metalwork!

Ummm….

I’m just learning and playing around!

I took the comment as a huge compliment!!

Here are some pictures of the things that I was working on.  Most of them are not yet finished; they need bails and/or dangling beads from the bottom holes.

And, as promised, and almost forgotten….!  How this all relates to my album of quilts available to trade.

One of the women in the class had on a gorgeous necklace.  It was large beads and each of those beads was made from hundreds – if not thousands – of tiny seed beads!

I went up to her, and examined it closely…

Which sounds a little odd… to go stare at someone’s neck…

But totally acceptable amongst artists!

I asked her if she was interested in a full/queen/king sized quilt as I would gladly trade her one for a necklace like that of my own!  I think she was impressed that I “got it”; that I recognized that a LARGE quilt with MANY hours of hard work and quality materials was the equivalent of that necklace. 

I’ve spoken here many times about people not appreciating the hours/materials/skill that go into our handcrafted  (NOT “Homemade” – that implies that cheesy, crafty, etc., look; our things are true art) pieces.  She also spoke about someone offering her $140 for a piece that took her over fourty hours.  And, yes, she had told the person how long it took before they offered that amount.

I get it… I get the effort that goes into art. 

So, I put all my tradable quilts into a single album that I can show people quickly!  Hopefully I can add some art of others to my collection at home soon.

Cleaning and Purging

One short story about the cycle of (craft) life, and then I am off to bed.  I have more to write, and quilt pictures to show – hopefully I write again tomorrow!

Something set me off, not completely sure what, but I organized several of my storage areas for craft/art supplies.  I also got the strength (yes, strength) to purge a lot of items that I would never use for various reasons, mostly that those things were more “crafting with the kids” items than things I would use in my current/future art.

The end result was that I had enough bags to fill the back of my car (not the trunk that is glass studio storage!).  I had foam sheets, plastic canvas, wired ribbon, envelopes of every shape, size, and color, two bags of pine cones, and entire paper ream box of plastic beads and much more.

I asked one of my teammates at work if her daughter’s school wanted the stuff.  Rather than school though, she stated that the after school program wanted any and all craft supplies they could get.  Today she pulled up next to my car in the work parking lot and I UNLOADED.

I think I surprised her with how much I had, and the quality.  (Although much was in bags, it was obvious from what was visible that there is good stuff there).

So, I feel good that I am passing on things and I have visions of happy little children playing with my purged supplies!