I was awake in the middle of the night last night, which is not uncommon. It seems like I rarely, if ever, anymore, sleep right through the night. Usually it is because I am a) too hot because we sleep under a down comforter that I really have a love/hate relationship with or b) I am cold because 45 minutes before I was too hot and tossed the down comforter off. It is a constant series of readjustments all night long because probably it is actually the case that my internal thermostat is shot. It has had a workout over the past few years. Usually I can perform the covers on/covers off maneuver and go back to sleep. Sometimes I can't. Last night I couldn't, so when I can't easily get back to sleep I toss for awhile and design quilts in my head. This was the image I saw in the middle of the night. I drew it this morning. Actually I concocted a series of woven forms in my head. 
This did not come out of nowhere. I have had this desire to work on something simpler and more graphic. I love stripes and curves. It was in the middle of the night that the idea of woven stripes came to me. I painted it just to play with color. This may be as far as this idea goes, or I may actually use it for a fabric piece. It could be nearly any size it seems to me. Big might work really well.After I painted it I wondered what other color schemes would look like. I scanned it and fiddled in Photoshop. Boy, do I love Photoshop. I actually quite like this very neutrally, cool approach. Very uncharacteristic. Maybe I am headed down a whole new path. Or maybe a new path will open up in the middle of the night some night.
Ya got a recurring hot/cold theme going there with your colors...
ReplyDeleteboy can I relate. Roger told me a long time ago that my thermostat was broken(engineer here too). Now he takes meds for his heart that make him cold all the time(even August). Can't describe how much flinging of covers that inspires. We solved some of it-put on two quilts at night-his and hers. At least you're getting creative in your sleeplessness.
ReplyDeleteThe knot is gorgeous - reminds me of the Japanese cords that are on the top of gifts (can't remember the name. Carve a stamp of this, and you've got a great repeat pattern, or print this on fabric Andy Warhol style... lovely. Do you feel a series coming on?
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to know that other quilters/artist create quilts at night when they are trying to get back to sleeping. Love your know drawings.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't sleep last night either! Love the sketch, reminds me of starting the top of a pie....but maybe I'm just hungry!
ReplyDeleteI love these.
ReplyDeleteI love having a peek into your process. I too design quilts at night. It's cliche, but I've deigned a few in teh shower as well. Oh, and there's a lot of deigning while driving but that one frustrates me because it's hard to write down your ideas.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, a series! Now I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
ReplyDeleteI have had some of my most profound thoughts in the middle of the night. There is something very liberating about the darkness and the quiet.
ReplyDeleteI used to solve all sorts of computer programming and system design problems in my sleep!
These days I wake up at least 2 times a night, but I seldom have trouble going back to sleep.
What happens to a design like this one in terms of constructing a quilt? Do you make a bunch of them just alike or all different or something else?
I used to design quilts in my head, too, in the middle of the night. The fact that I haven't for the last year or so concerns me somewhat.
ReplyDeleteI love those cool colors.
Lovely, very nice design. Lizzie
ReplyDeleteYou've captured the beginning of a basket made with very unruly reeds. The movement, the dimensionality, the layering - so realistic and stylized at the same time. You could easily make a series of these and basketmakers would probably jump at the chance to join you in a show.
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