FFFC Challenge #50 Haiku

Haiku! October 22/due October 30 Host: Kathy Lichtendahl

Inspiration is a very personal thing. Some of us may be moved to create a quilt after viewing a beautiful sunset while others are driven to action by a perceived injustice. One person may find themselves inspired by a memory while another creates after hearing a piece of beautiful music. For this month's challenge I am asking participants to allow themselves to be inspired by words. When Quilts, Inc. announced their exhibit of images and words to be shown at this year's IQF, I began looking more closely at the poetry called haiku. I will warn you that creating these little poems can become addictive! Please note - you do not have to write your own haiku for this exercise. There are many examples of classic haiku by artists stretching back centuries and some of the traditional Japanese poems are truly exquisite. If you do choose to create your own verse, try to follow the classic format: 3 lines with 17 syllables, 5 in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third. A season is usually referenced although the "clue" word may be subtle. The lines do not rhyme. For more hints on writing haiku visit the websites listed below.

The challenge here is not to become a poet but rather to allow yourself to work from the feelings created by experiencing the written word. Please do not do this challenge in reverse; that is to say, do not pick a quilt and then create or find a verse to match. Try to select the words first and then allow the ideas to flow from them. You can be as realistic or as abstract as you like. Please include your verse when you post your photos to the blog.

As a secondary challenge I encourage you to make stitch a strong part of your design. This may sound redundant since just about everything we do involves stitching but I am asking you to take it one step further and plan the impact of the stitch - either hand or machine - as an integral and obvious part of your finished quilt.

Some sites explaining Haiku

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku www.wikihow.com/write-a-Haiku-Poem www.toyomasu.com/haiku/

http://www.simplytom.com/definitions.txl (see the viewpoints section for the feeling part)

http://haikuguy.com/issa/links3.html

Quilts inspired by words:

Susan "Lucky" Shie is probably the best known quilter to incorporate words directly into her quilts.

www.turtlemoon.com/gallery10/2010gallery.htm

Nature Quilts:

Marilyn Wall and Sue Wademan each do a marvelous job of creating moods with their nature quilts. Marilyn's quilts tend to be realistic while Sue's are more abstract.

www.marilynwallfiberartist.com/index.php/gallery/fabricating

www.suewademan.com

Seasons:

Two artists whose quilts evoke emotion by referencing the seasons are Leslie Rego and Alison Muir.

www.leslierego.com/ArtQuilts/Meanderings_by_Leslie_Rego.html

www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=136&Itemid=114

Other Art inspired by Haiku

http://thegreenleaf.co.uk/HP/Duets/01/CH.htm