Blocks and Strip(e)s

This is Ruth Kennedy's quilt, called Blocks and Strips in Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt, but labeled Blocks and Stripes on the Philadelphia Museum of Art site.

I've just ordered 8/2 unmercerized cotton, based on the amazing juxtaposition of acid green, yellow, blue, black, and burgundy for a twill sampler for my study group on the Handweavers Guild of America Certificate of Excellence.

We've decided, as a group, to spend more time studying the technical aspects of the weaving, and not rushing through to get to the next sample. Already - well, now that I've made a decision on colors, which is the most onerous but enjoyable part of the process for me - so many choices, so little time - I feel more relaxed about working on the sampler.

 Less quick and dirty, as we say. For example, the warp that I threw on the loom for a sample on pulled weft loops in rug technqiues is sett at the wrong number of ends per inch, because I rushed and didn't carefully read the information on how  far apart (3 or 6 ends instead of 8) to place the threads for this technqiue. As a colleague reminded me, quick and dirty often ends up taking much longer than a careful plan of attack. So against my nature! But with the twill sampler, hopefully, more process, more joy, less instant gratification, less suffering? We shall see.