ordered chaos

from Block Party

So the block I made for September? This is an approximation of how the finished quilt will look. The idea and instructions for this quilt come from Block Party - The Modern Quilting Bee: The Journey of 12 Women, 1 Blog, & 12 Improvisational Projects. Isn't it amazing? This and the other 11 quilting projects in the book strike me as ordered chaos.

I get tired just thinking of trying to create a quilt like that by myself. Randomness and disorder are not easily contrived. Consider the numerous online tutorials for "messy hairdos" of one kind or another. Or how much time and planning it might take a teenager finding their own style to put together a mismatched outfit. Apparently mismatched socks are all the rage and actually being sold - my sock-eating dryer saves me money in that sense (though Allyson, your kids seem to be trendsetters). But take quilt blocks from 12 different people following some general guidelines and, voilà! There is your ordered randomness.

Although for most of my life I've thought of myself as someone who religiously follows instructions, patterns, or recipes, I have recently become enchanted with the idea of creating, pattern/recipe-free. Sometimes I go a bit overboard and end up with an unwearable item or an inedible meal (just ask my husband). But this quilt block was such fun to work on since there really was no recipe for success. I found the process quite liberating.