To cut is to draw

collaborations, improv process

I’m reading an essay from influential Italian designer Riccardo Falcinelli, Critica portatile al visual design. I love all his books.
In the chapter about “screens”, he talks about the use of the body during design making: “to sketch, to paint, to attach, to photograph, all of those are actions that should be kept alive, in order not to limit ourselves to few repeated moves done in front of a screen, to shift pixels, otherwise we risk to repeat a type of graphic design that looks all the same”.

I have to say that, when I sew, it’s a pleasure to stand up from the sewing table, to go to ironing board, and then check the result at the design wall, in order to return to the cutting mat with a decision in mind about how to go on.
It’s true: the physical gestures required by patchwork have a great influence on the result.

How to cut fabric?
When do I piece fabric?
Before or after having sewn them?
(After? Really? Well… what’s wrong with sewing first, and reduce pieces by cutting them, only later?).

Tomorrow I will talk about this: in a zoom livestream session.
The good part of this platform is interaction. How and when do you cut your fabric pieces?
I wish to see you then, and to talk about that!

If you want to join, you can ask for Patchworkvictim newsletter (italian language), and you will receive the meeting link.