Announcing “A Common Thread”- a year long collaboration with artist Neicy Frey
I am very excited to launch a brand new year-long project that is beginning for me this month. A Common Thread is a collaboration with inspiring artist and longtime friend Neicy Frey.
A little background.
So many of us start year long projects on January 1st, or 100 day challenges at different point throughout the year. These challenges are something we commit to doing every day. Done in an effort to refine, learn, develop skills or create a process. See where it takes us. As creatives, we’re all seeking momentum, creative challenges, and new ways to work.
For some folks, these types of challenges are eye opening. For many, they can be intimidating. For me, I believe these projects make me feel slightly unsure and uncomfortable. They bring up a lot of uneasy feelings. But what I find is that those feelings really help me discover more about my process and the kind of work I want to do. All of these feelings are important for me to develop what I do.
When I do these types of challenges, whether I finish them or not (I admit I don’t always), they leave me with more insight than when I started them. For that I am always grateful. And because of that I am always reluctant to commit to these types of challenges if I do not feel truly ready.
An assortment of Neicy’s paintings.
Neicy and I began talking earlier this Summer about wanting to push ourselves creatively, look for new ways to challenge our work, and step out of our comfort zones. Neicy is a painter (see her beautiful work in the image above), and I am a quilter. What if we did something together? Would it make sense? If so, how?
Through many video calls, texts, and emails, A Common Thread was born. You can read more about it on this page. It makes me smile whenever I think about this project, and I think that’s a really good sign.
Beginning this month, September 2019, we are challenging ourselves to respond to a classic embroidery stitch of some kind. Our first stitch is the satin stitch.
SATIN Stitch, also called the Damask Stitch, has been used around the globe in traditional embroideries for centuries. The satin stitch is made by running thread in parallel rows that lay directly next to each other so that the thread completely covers the fabric in a defined area. This technique creates a smooth and luxurious surface resembling satin.
We decided a couple of parameters- a predetermined finished size (different every month), and that our backgrounds would always be a shade of white. Other than that, the pieces will each take on the maker’s hand and inspiration.
We have each already begun our September pieces, based on the satin stitch. You can see Neicy’s here! The size for this month is 24″ x 36″. Ok ok, I am realizing I was a little ambitious with my first piece. But I will persevere! I am really enjoying sitting down and working on it each evening.
I will post progress photos on my Instagram feed and in my IG stories.
We will be posting something online each week as we work on our pieces that month. You can follow along with us at #commonthreadcollab