Geri deGruy's blog of art, musings, and inspiration

Some days I am daunted by a large project. It feels like too much pressure. I might mess it up and then what? Or I don't have an idea well formed enough to begin. Or I just don't want to!

On those days, I will often play with creating smaller projects, just for fun and experimentation. It's like sampling a bit of several desserts rather then committing to one big one. Much of the time, I call these projects... cards. Not always, but they often become a colorful small work of art suitable for the cover of a greeting card.

For some reason, I don't pressure myself about these smaller works. Oddly they can sometimes take almost as much "work" as larger pieces, but they seem like a lesser commitment and more disposable if I mess up. I don't dispose of them though and frequently use them, but there's more of an element of carefree play to them than I regularly have when working on a bigger piece. 

In most cases, I grab fabric scraps (which can be very small!) and start placing them in relation to one another in ways that please me. When I'm happy enough, I'll dot them down with glue, let the piece dry a bit, then free sew all over it. Paper is the base "fabric" so I have to sew somewhat sparingly in order to prevent the paper tearing from the stitches. Occasionally I add embelishments but that can make mailing a bit more cumbersome.

Here are a few, all fabric creations. These were all made into cards which you'll be able to tell from the photos.