A couple of months ago my friend Maggie showed me how to free motion stitch. At first the experience can be a little scary. For those of you who do not sew, here is a little explanation of what free motion stitching is. A sewing machine has something called 'feed dog'. This is what moves the fabric for you, allowing you to focus on keeping direction (usually a straight line, or slight curves). When you drop the feed dog down, then nothing moves the fabric, unless you do. This allows you to move in every-which direction you choose, you can write, you can doodle, you can do anything you want, but you have to keep on moving. The hard part is to remember to move and keep control, but the results can be beautiful pieces of art.
Here is a visual tutorial if you'd like to see the process (this is not mine by the way).
I am still in the learning stages, braving up to practice, to not be too hard on myself, and to remind myself that being an artist is making mistakes and keeping the ones that work. For now I have just been scribbling words. I made bunch of little patches of different words, then used them as an applique to decorate cute little bags that came from the legs of a few pairs of jeans destined for Goodwill.
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