Sewing Wild Oats

Titles for my art usually are difficult for me but not for this journal cover; it was a piece of cake because of a label I chose to use, from a company called Wild Oats.  And since the cover is sewn ... well there you have it: Sewing Wild Oats. Yes, I know what that phrase refers to, but I'm using it here because this cover is the first assignment in Remains of the Day class where I'll learn to be loose, both with my journal additions and with my machine stitching.  I'm never very loose. When I learned to sew I was taught to be careful and precise. But now I'm asked to turn loose of that life habit and work without thinking. We'll see about that.

I dug into two of my collections, the Thai silk and the clothing labels and sewed them to the base fabric almost without thinking. The resulting piece is overworked in an interesting way and I think it'll be fun to continue.

One thing I learned many years ago about journaling is that if the cover of the book is attractive then I'll be attracted to pick it up and work in it on a more regular basis. Even when buying simple spiral notebooks I look for a color that's attractive, and if it loses it's appeal I take the time to paint or collage the cover.