I Love Mistakes-Learn from Them.

We all make mistakes but then learn from them. I Love Mistakes-Learn from them. I would like to share some mistakes that I have learned from. All mistakes are not bad. Errors are often touted as being something to avoid. Keeping one’s mind open can lead to embrasing errors  as a good discovery. Postits and the microwave oven, for example, were originally mistakes.

grasses in the wetlands with a moon overhead,Mistakes that I have Not Regretted
Grasses in the wetlands with a moon overhead

A Fabric Layering Technique Example

While working on a wetlands fabric layering piece, some fabric  turned under at the top. This unexpectedly added movement and  added interest  to the marsh. I continued doing it and added it to my toolbox. I Love Mistakes. Learn from them.

An Abstract Example

One example is how I discovered a signature detail of mine by mistake. When working on  abstract pieces, I generally first pull out all of the possible fabrics within my chosen range of colors. A particular  color was missing. Not finding a bigger amount, I solved my problem by sewing  some small pieces together at odd angles to make a large enough piece of material. It pleased me,I liked the way it looked.

I Love Mistakes-Learn from them.

This example is how I discovered a signature detail of mine by mistake. I started to do it more. sewing small pieces of fabric together (about 1-1 1/2″ long) that had been trimmed off other pieces. Not wanting to waste any fabric anyway, I now often include some small pieces sewn together  to each of  my abstracts. I is now  my signature detail.

greys,pinks and purple fabric in this abstract,Mistakes that I have Not Regretted
Greys,pinks and purple fabric in this abstract art quilt

Tension Takes Over

Another example is the day the tension on my  machine seemed to have  a mind of its own.   The sewing  machine started to pull the bobbin thread from the bottom up to the top of the fabric. Stitches looked like dots. I liked the effect. I tried it using different colored threads. Using a cream colored fabric,I preferred a black thread on the bobbin(bottom) and a cream colored thread for the top. I adjusted the tension so that the bottom thread would pull up and create dots .

Knots, art quilts with fibers
white fabric with black thread pulling to the top
stitches with poor tension
decorative stitches created by black thread being pulled to the top of white fabric
Knots, detail showing stitching with poor tension
Knots, detail 2

In Conclusion

Keep an open mind  towards mistakes. Are they interesting? Do they make your piece more  interesting? Then accept your mistake. Learn to love and accept mistakes.Learn from them. Add the technique to your toolkit and use it. Embrace  new discoveries.

https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2017/09/inspiration-from-one-fabric/

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By Ann

Ann Baldwin May was born and raised in Palo Alto, California. She received her education from University of California, Irvine (History, BA Elementary Teaching Credential, Masters in Teaching Spanish) Her first quilting class was in 1975. She retired in 2012 after working 30 years as a bilingual teacher and Bilingual Resource Teacher in Watsonville. After making over 300 bed quilts, she turned her attention to art quilts. Ann is passionate about using repurposed materials often from the San Francisco Design Center. She has won several awards for her work. Kaiser Permanente has purchased five pieces for their Santa Cruz County facilities. Her work has been juried into shows all over the country including San Francisco and Chicago. She participates in the juried Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour. She is married and has two daughters. Ann Baldwin May Santa Cruz Art Center, 1001 Center St.#4 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 baldwinmay49@yahoo.com 831.345.1466 annbaldwinmayartquilts.com Facebook- AnnBaldwinMayArtQuilts@annbaldwinmay Instagram-annbaldwinmay

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