Breaking the Mold

In our yoga class last week we talked about molding our bodies by routine in daily life. The concept is that our bodies take the shape of what we do with them so in yoga we practice exercises that make our bodies do the opposite of the normal routine.  Since life involves a lot of standing, we stand on our heads or hands.  Since life demands a lot of sitting hunched over a desk, we do back bends every week.  I love the invigorating feeling of the blood rushing into the molded areas and giving them new life through new positions.  This concept has been on my mind all week as examples of molding are everywhere. 
Take the house at Pymble.  It stood as it was with old wallpaper, walked down carpet and the decorator tips of the 1960's.  No body complained because this was the molding they were accustomed to when they went there.  It was shaped the way they were used to seeing it.  Now, as we peel away the layers of sameness, a new place appears like a breath of fresh air. The 100 year old floor boards are restored to their original glory as are the pressed ceilings and chandelier light fixtures throughout the house. In the master bedroom the dark shadows are gone completely as light floods in the once heavily curtained windows.
Other rooms have changed as well.  Blue walls to a clean white...it helps having large colorful paintings to add a touch of color.  After a year of quiet mourning, this old house is stretching into new life.
We practice this kind of molding in quilting too.  It is so easy to repeat what we know, to sit in the easy chair and do it again.  Similar colors and patterns appeal and then become the method.  However, if we are lucky enough to have people around us doing different things, the ability to look at their "routines" can be the exercise we need to add new life to our own work.  Their mold becomes our new breath. 
This happens in Sue Cody's class on Friday.  Sue has mastered the art of looking at fabric differently and she is sharing that perspective here...Suzanne took the lovely quiet palette of Sue's quilt and made it bright and popping with color.

Margaret has done the quilt in a similar palette to Sue's and gets the gong for getting close to finishing the quilt first!  Very beautifully done, I have to say..


Lois has gotten to the outer borders of this quilt and it is also a beauty.
These simply elegant quilts made up of fussy cut hexagons, flowers and stars use tiny bits of fabric with great imagination.  Slow burning projects that give satisfaction along the way and great satisfaction when complete.
Sometimes it's nice to break the mold of going fast and do something that takes time so that we can appreciate it's passing instead of marveling at where it went already.  I think I'll go stand on my head for a while and then hand piece a block today.  Who am I kidding?  I am off to the gym, the grocery store, the laundry room, the messy kitchen and then, maybe then to stand on my head just to breath deeply....enjoy! kathy

Comments

[dot]

WOW!!! Those are great. I had to enlarge the picture to see they are GFGs. I will have to comtemplate this technique and maybe slow down a bit and make myself something spectacular like this. Thanks for sharing these with us.

[Tine]

Oh my goodness! Those quilts are gorgeous!!! I like the idea of thinking of ways to break the mold. LOL!

[maree watt]

OMG!!!They are just Spectacular I am a Hexagon Lover & I wish I was in this class, well done to all.
Love your version Kathy of the Mold makes sense. Thanks for sharing.
cheers
maree
Love the new Pic by the way.

[Di]

Great post Kathy. I love how yoga makes your body stretch and bend against it's natural molding! It pushes you outside your comfort zone and although you may be wary of going there..it's always worth it in the end...just like quilting! Love those hexagons!

[calamity kim]

That was a wonderful post! I love looking at the quilts here and marvel at the use of color and pattern and whimsy and fun you guys have with your quilting!
I am riding my bike from now on to help save gas $ and get back in shape- I would love to start yoga soon and stretch my moldy body to new and different shapes! You can tell that I go from the fridge to the sewing machine to the bed!!! teehee! Yikes! Thank you for the inspiration- spiritually, physically and quiltinglly!