Sunday, September 6, 2009

Korak revisited (and not for the last time)

This is how far I got with my first korak. When it is all full of pins, sewing it is like operating a fully awake porcupine. But the method of covering every cut line with a folded one makes arranging the block a free experimental game instead of demanding a plan from the start -- which has been my greatest obstacle on the way to a quilt. I simply can't work if I know what my project will look like in the end. If I do, there is no point in starting the whole thing.
This is the basic confession of my craft.
Original Koraks don't get quilted, although some might need a little quilting, like the velvet patches -- 3rd link below . I tried some cautious quilting with small stitches on the flower fabric in the bottom block. What do you think? To quilt or not to quilt?

Here are some links of more koraks.

Quilters' Muse Virtual Museum
A 19th century piece
A Korak with velvet

13 comments:

jude said...

oh this is so very cool! thank you! i love this!

jude said...

... i shared this on facebook, hope you don't mind.

Eva said...

Oh, of course not, Jude, thank you!

Deb G said...

I don't like to know exactly where I'm going either. There needs to be some mystery. Something that unfolds. I like that this does away with quilting a large project.

ArtSparker said...

This is a wonderful balance of ordered and freeform.

Eva said...

Susan, dear, I'm just unable to do real ordered form.

Morna Crites-Moore said...

"I simply can't work if I know what my project will look like in the end. If I do, there is no point in starting the whole thing."

I totally agree!

I don't yet understand how Korak works, but your example here is Beautiful. I Love It! I will go do some more Korak exploring now, via your links.

Thanks to Jude for posting this to FB, which is how I found it.

Dori said...

I am most interested in your Korak explorations! It reminds me of a method my grandmother showed me eons ago. This post made me dig through my mind archives to remember what she taught me. You have a wonderful blog. Dori

Anonymous said...

This really struck a chord with me. Korak. I am not familiar with these, but would love to explore this further. I agree with you. I don't like to have a plan when I do a piece. I like to work and create as I go. These pieces you shared are so rich and varied, and I also truly love the way you have pieced the different textiles. Very, very nice. What a treat to be introduced to this.

Rayna said...

You already know that if I knew where I was going I wouldn't go when I start to work on a piece. It's the thrill of discovery that keeps me going. If this Korak way of working works for you, it's great! BTW - the word verification here today is "kurac". How weird is that?

Eva said...

I knew they can read...

Clare Wassermann said...

I love this. I must research the Korak further - I enjoyed following all your links!

Judy said...

That is so neat! I can barely see the quilting in the bottom block, but I like the addition of the visible stitches, as I think it adds more interest. I absolutely adore that blue/red/white flower fabric in the next to bottom block! The blue is outstanding. I love how you've added the different fabrics. You have such an eye for color!

xo