It's all about the parts

I've put together my "kit" of parts for my community quilt. Our small quilt group, 6 of us, are going to the beach tomorrow for our annual long weekend retreat and I am taking this to work on.

I am going to be interested, judging by what we have seen from one another so far, to see how many of these pieces will be houses and how many will be faces and then what else. Helen's looks like neither from her "teasers" but I could be surprised. Kristen has already noted that there is nothing new under the sun and we are on similar wavelengths it seems. I don't find this a concern in the least, because I know they will all be different and even if we are using similar imagery we are all thinking about it in different ways. Even though I am using faces, what I am really thinking about are connections. And how convenient that making quilted work is all about connection—thread to fabric, fabric to fabric, thread to thread, etc. etc. Now the trick will be to see if I can make these analogies make sense.

This has been a harder concept for me than the previous two. Those were so clearly pretty simple visual images that could be interpreted in different visual styles. Community is an idea, not an image, so we are having to choose visual images that will represent the ideas inherent in the larger idea of community. It seems to force a more abstract approach, like it or not. Actually I like it. It is pushing me to not be so literal.