Quilt Mission Statements?
Yes, I know it sounds odd, but for any major new project I create a simple Mission Statement of sorts. A Mission Statement provides a framework that guides my decisions, a kind of philosophical blueprint that keeps me on track. Otherwise I get lost in the detail! And really, the statement just captures what is already in my head anyway.
So as I work my way through the twists and turns of creating, it’s helpful to remind myself what I was trying to accomplish in the first place. Here are some of the things that I might include in a Mission Statement:
-I want to try out one or several new things-it could be about color, thread, size, quilting, batting, design, you name it.
“Golden Moments” new challenges included double batting, quilting out new motifs I designed and experiments with several new threads. Oh, and I tried spray basting….silk…not a good choice.
-I want to achieve a certain feel from the quilt. 
In “Mom’s Lily Bed” I wanted to evoke the feeling of wonderment I got as a little girl crouched in a lily bed, surrounded by beauty.
-I may have a quilting goal: try a new motif or combinations of motifs, etc. 
like I did on “Emerge”.
-I may be responding to a challenge, so I need to make sure I meet the criteria of the challenge. Challenges-hmm-they usually are NOT my best work but many times they light a new fire. 
“This Is A Quilt? Challenge Piece” was not successful, but it did start me on a path of recognition that the details of a whole cloth quilt are hard to see from even just 6′ away!
-I may be focused on a specific attitude like “I really want this quilt to be a romp: simple, fun, beautiful.” 
I tried to do this on “Stars n Stripes”-I like the quilt but it was NOT a romp nor was it simple! I lost my way and wandered.
-Sometimes I am focusing on something practical-“A chemo quilt for Jane that is comforting, in her colors and stands up to multiple washings” or “A class sample” or “Something small and very tote-able that I can use to show others what I do”. 
“Lily-of-the-Valley Mini” fit into the latter category and shows my current direction.
So it’s really a useful thing for me. I’m at that exciting point right now of having a vision of my next project. I’ve prepared my fabrics, chosen my thread, I have a pretty good idea of the general look of the quilt, I’ve chosen my batting and I’m ready to layer it up and begin testing my thoughts on a large sample piece first.
For this quilt, I haven’t actually written a statement yet, but I do have several thoughts:
-I want to significantly increase the scale of the project, thanks to the observant wisdom of my friends-the Pixeladies.
-I will be using high contrast thread so that you can see my work from a distance. Now that is a very bold choice-every little mistake and wobble will be magnified-kinda like trying on a bathing suit in a department store-yikes!! But I am tired of making beautiful, intricate quilts that look like a blob of color from just 10′ away!
Here I’m just playing with different weights, colors, and contents of thread. I’m not happy with any of it yet.
-I want to create a stylized but representational quilt, using the plant beauty in my own yard. I love the stylized lily motif that I created for “Mom’s Lily Bed”.
I’m sure I will have a thing or two more to add as I firm up my ideas, but I just wanted to share a part of my creative process with you. I am fascinated by how others approach creativity. How do you approach the beginning of a project?
All these quilts just take my breath away!
Interesting concept, a mission statement. I try to hear what my fabric is saying. Sometimes I put fabrics together, and never make anything, then sometimes they yell at me and form themselves into a quilt on their own!
I am driven by patterns and textures, but do want to try a wholecloth. And I can’t wait to see what you have next!
Gosh I wish fabric spoke to me-even better if it yells at me and there’s no mistaking! I don’t think I’ve ever had a quilt form itself-I long for that feeling.
Thanks so much, Jenny for sharing your work with us. It’s so inspiring to see your beautiful quilts and learn a little about how your process evolves.
Thanks Linda-Kaye! I like to share and I love to hear about the processes that other quilters/artists go through.
Interesting concept. It would certainly be nice to have a written goal for reference sometimes. I LOVE the color combination on your first photo–and the quilting on all of them of course.
We all are wired differently and I just found I wandered too much to not have some sort of tangible focus. You mentioned the colors in the first photo-color is not my forte but I took the color story from that really cool vintage hanky in the center-easy cheat!!
Your work is so absolutely stunning! You seem so serious and focused about every phase of your work. I’m just loose and crazy and let the fabric inspire me. You THINK about what you are doing, so much. That’s a great way to work–setting goals and accomplishing them. I think you will achieve greater success than you have so far, greater by leaps and bounds. Keep up the wonderful work and keep posting the beautiful, inspiring photos, please.
Thanks Kathy. I love how you work-spontaneously, with gusto. Maybe I can work that way some day cause I would love to. I think it takes many years of plain old work to be “spontaneous” because you have developed your instincts. I’m working on that one.
What great insights – this is a wonderful tutorial though I’m not sure you thought of it that way as you wrote it. And your gorgeous free motion quilting provides so much inspiration and excellent examples of your mission statement process. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks Pat-hmmm, tutorial. You’re right, never thought of it that way. It’s just the way I work.
Jenny, thank you for sharing. Your work is beautiful and I love the way you take us on your journey to completion of your quilts. I look forward to reading your blog every time. You have inspired me to learn more about quilting.
What an inspiration you are to me a new quilter. I am still terrified of free motion. Guess i will take your class after the new year. love ya, Anita.
Oh no-you can’t be terrified of free motion!! It’s still just needle, thread and fabric. Would love to have you in class!!
Jenny, I so appreciate your sharing…very inspiring! I have never thought about how I approach a project. Perhaps it is time that I did! I might accomplish more and grow more.
Oh Laura, I’m just talking about how I do it. I have to be intentional cause that’s just the way I am. I would love to be more spontaneous but that just doesn’t work well for me yet.
Jenny, I love the idea of a mission statement. When I was making greeting cards, I found myself wanting to use every new technique or stamp on one card, and then realized that the piece was losing focus. A mission statement does help focus, and I will make sure to use your idea. Thanks.
Yes-I know that feeling! I have a wearable art piece with every technique I knew at the time on it and it’s ugly! I have to pare it back and focus on just a few things.
This was another great post! I really like Stars and Stripes – it is a beauty! I like the idea of a mission statement and of course if you enter shows you generally do have to blah-blah-blah about your quilt. ( I dislike that part!) I like to have a name for my quilt and keep it in mind as I work along. Perhaps it is a loose statement….Your idea of having goals in mind is much better!
Thank you Deb! It’s funny you say that you usually have a name in mind as you work a quilt-I almost never have a name and never know what to name mine. In my head I call it something descriptive like “purple whole cloth” instead of a real name. Just shows we all approach our art differently.
Found my way here from Diane’s blog. Your work is super, how is it I have never seen it before? Lovely.
I never thought about creating a mission statement for a project. This idea really appeals to me because I often start with a specific direction and end up questioning every idea until the end project doesn’t look anything like the original idea.
I am going to have to try this. Your lily quilt is stunning.
WOW. Very Stunning . I loved it. It’s very attractive and I wanna to learn more unique quilts. I really loved arts doing quilts that I expressed my ideas and my feelings. I am very interested attending class about quilts , yeah right now still in class of quilting ,it helps me and my business grow so I can make anything unique like yours. I am very amazed about your articles. I am just starting my own business very new in this industry called me “NewB” (new baby quilt maker).
Thanks for sharing this articles. You inspired me.
Take care and Have a nice day.
Thank you Evangeline!