Inspiration: Nancy Crow

I was wandering about the library on a totally unrelated mission the other weekend and suddenly

SHAZAMMM!!!

You know how sometimes when you are viscerally connected to an object or a piece of art, you do that quick intake of breath without even realizing it. That's how it was with this book.

Now I'm not about to attempt to make a quilt anytime in the near future. I like instant gratification projects. But if I were to make a quilt, this is how I would want to do it. Slowly, obsessively, free-form. Nancy Crow is so obsessive that she dyes her own fabrics so that she has a huge spectrum to work from. She used to use traditional piecing patterns and templates but now is working much more freely. Some of her work reminds me of the beautiful Gee's Bend quilts.

I had to sit through the most dreadful inservice last week. 2 full days of web-streamed video from the state department of ed. It was fatally boring. The second day I took this book along and entertained myself admiring the quilts and reading about how her art has changed over time.

P.S. Sis, her studio is near Columbus, OH. Next time I'm out to visit, let's see if we can find it!

detail from Constructions #7 by Nancy Crow, p. 177