Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Something I've been thinking about



Drifting around on the internets one day not long ago, I came across a blogger who was making a Dear Jane quilt. What, you ask, is a Dear Jane quilt? Well, there's not exactly a short answer, but in nutshell it's a quilt that lots of folk have been making based on the design of one made originally by one Jane Stickle in 1863.

See?

I've always been interested in handcrafts like sewing, knitting, and quilting. This quilt is really gnawing at my craw for some reason. It's a project, when undertaken, will occupy its maker for years to come. Yet I really want to get the book and become engrossed in the whole online community that surrounds it.

Unfortunately, there's no way I could fit it in, not really. Then again... doing one little patch at a time, one or two a month while I'm sitting watching TV or something? I could just make it a process, a lifetime endeavor which I never really plan to finish...

In the meantime I need to get cranking on some house paintings. I've been seeing many lovely candidates out in my daily travels that I need to photograph and bring into the studio. I am trying to stay focused on those houses that are run-down, or totally abandoned, but I have also been drawn to houses that may not really be run-down but just a little tattered, but with interesting lines, or lines that I have a hard time finding beauty in. And not just houses! I am noticing so much more "regular" architecture than ever before. I need to take a photo trip one of these weekends.

In the meantime, there is this poor little house that I would love to buy and take care of. She's my next muse.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great house. It NEEDS to be loved and repaired.

Amy G. said...

Jon, I know!! From this photo it looks like it is in the country, but it is actually located on a busy road -- Niagara Falls Blvd. -- right across from a HUGE RV dealership that has its parking lot lights on all the time. It's on a nice sized lot, though, and guess you could plant some more trees in front. I totally wish I had the funds and skill to buy it and fix it up.

Anonymous said...

well , the house looks so good. But you have to take good care of it.

Amy G. said...

Quilting: Yep, it is a shame that whomever owned that little house let it go so badly. I hope someone rescues it, doesn't just tear it down.