…not only alters your art, but improves it! What to think? Me, I decided that it was great.
I sold a small wall-hanging at the Sunflower Festival just over a week ago. Technically, it was of a poinsettia, though it didn’t scream Christmas. (I tend not to hook overtly holiday-ish items; they take so long to hook, I wouldn’t want to put them away after a month.) Indeed, the customer didn’t even recognize it as a poinsettia at first; to her it was an attractive, artsy rug that went well with the colors in her living room. Then she told me what she was going to do with it.
“It’ll make a great pillow to set on my fireplace.”
Very cool, I thought. “Would you send me a photo when you finish it?”
“Of course!”
Nonetheless, I was concerned that when she finally made the pillow, she’d either forget or have lost my card with the email address.
I needn’t have worried. That was Saturday. I think it was Tuesday afternoon when I saw an email with an unfamiliar address pop into my box. The message:
Hi Laura,
I bought your poinsettia at the sunflower festival on Saturday. I turned it into a pillow, stitching a backing from a green fabric remnant I had and stuffing it with poly filling. Here it is in front of our kiva. You can see it has a good home. It is nestled on an afghan my grandmother crocheted about 50 years ago. Thanks for your artistry.
Ada
Leonard Cohen once stated that “Artists’ intentions mean nothing.” And I agree. Especially if you’re selling your art. Sure, the poinsettia made a nifty wall-hanging or table-topper, but Ada saw it as a colorful pillow perfect for her living room. I’m happy that she was able to take a piece of my art and make it her own as well. And I’m grateful to her for sharing it with me.
I think it looks great. Lovely work by both of you!
Thanks, Ania!
You both did a nice job!
What to do with these “smalls” is a trick, I think. I have some hooked mug rugs, but I don’t use hooking on tabletops. (I use woven things.) when I taught hooking at a primitive quilting store, everyone made little candle mats (?) and runners for the tops of toilets and all sorts of what I call “gee gaws”. I wondered where they stored all of these seasonal things and what they did if someone spilled coffee on them or if their cats liked lying on them!
Anyway, I like the pillow idea, though of course it’s too much work for the hooker. And then you can have too many pillows…. They are the devil to make and I spent a fortune a few years ago to have one done. The simplest way is to wrap them to the backing like you do for a rug, but then it’s pretty permanent.
Small quilts are even worse! I usually frame them or attach them to a stretcher frame, but that adds to the cost.
Did you sell your new rug?
Nope, haven’t sold the new rug. But not surprised at the Rail Yards Market. Worse, the state fair’s running now, so it was very slow. But I did manage to make my rent by selling a mug rug bound for Arizona as a birthday gift. I’ve taken to putting small rings on the back of them so that they can be hung up. Maybe I’ll break down and put one in my studio this week! The Ikea shelves are due come thurday. I am very excited. I have two weeks to play in there, then have Saturday and Sunday sales back-to-back. Did get into the big Santa Fe one (November) – lots of hooking to do! You going to see rain from Irma.? My brother’s in Tampa/St. Pete going through it right now. Lots of prosecco in the condo.
Gee gaws”? Where does that come from?
We are to have rain and high winds sometime tomorrow. For awhile it looked like it was heading right for us but it (she?) is heading west.
I grew up saying gee gaws! I looked it up online and it appears to be archaic…
;-D
Nothing like getting new IKEA shelves and so glad that Prime delivers them. Have fun.
We’re off to Vermont on Tuesday for a wedding and looking forward to the road trip.
Turns out it was cheaper getting them directly from Ikea! No need to become a Prime member yet. But horrors, now that I’ve ordered them and they’re almost here, the child is squawking about coming back. Not necessarily a good idea for any of us. Will have to see how this plays out… Have a great time in Vermont! We’ll be heading back to New England next month for the first time. Oh, my!