November 6, 2025 • 38 mins
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In this episode of Creative Crossroads, hosts Ellyn and Catherine welcome their friend Chris Davies, a talented quilter and musician. Chris shares her journey from music to quilting, discussing her creative process, the impact of synesthesia on her art, and her inspirations. The conversation delves into how Chris transitioned from music to visual arts, her love for improvisation in quilting, and her thoughts on embracing the creative process without fear of failure. Listeners will find insights into Chris's unique approach to both quilting and music, as well as her philosophy on creativity and learning from both successes and failures.
00:00 Welcome to Creative Crossroads
00:17 Meet Our Guest: Chris Davies
01:01 Chris's Journey into Creativity
01:31 The Influence of Music on Creativity
02:33 Project Runway Inspiration
04:57 Exploring Synesthesia
07:43 Creative Challenges and Collaborations
11:50 Finding Inspiration and Starting Projects
16:55 Navigating Creative Blocks
19:09 Reflecting on a Creative Childhood
20:34 Starting with Improv Quilting
22:19 Confidence in the Creative Process
24:57 The Role of Synesthesia in Music and Quilting
27:22 Encouraging New Creatives
32:26 Current Projects and Future Plans
34:16 Creative Spaces and Aspirations
35:52 Final Thoughts and Farewell
Thanks for joining us at Creative Crossroads! Keep creating and we'll see you again soon!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (00:35):
Welcome to Creative Crossroads.
If you're new here, we're gladyou made, you found us.
If you're been around before,we're glad you decided to come
back.
I'm Ellen.
Catherine Dutton (00:45):
and I'm Catherine.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (00:46):
And we are your creativity ambassadors.
We have some fun today.
A good friend of ours has joinedus, Chris Davies.
We met through quilting.
She is a member of the McKinneyModern Quilt Guild and also a
member of my BE Quilts onScripted.
And we've gotten to know eachother quite well over the years.
(01:07):
Chris has a lot of othercreative talents and we thought
you would enjoy hearing from herand learning about her and her
creative process.
So welcome Chris.
Chris Davies (01:18):
Thank you so much.
I'm really happy just to get tochat with y'all because you're,
you're, you're both so fun.
So this is, this is gonna be alot of fun, so,
Ellyn Zinsmeister (01:28):
Well, we feel the same way about you, so there
you go.
Before we get started, I mean, Iknow.
Your quilting process from likethe last 10 years or so.
But tell us more about yourcreativity.
I know you also have music
Chris Davies (01:46):
Yeah.
Honestly, I think I startedquilting about 10 years ago.
Prior to that, I had noexperience with a sewing
machine.
In fact, I thought I hadinherited my mom's jeans and I
couldn't sew a button on.
I just, yeah.
So I didn't even know that waspossible.
But my whole family is verymusical, so we had always, there
(02:11):
was always music in the houseand I had taken piano lessons,
so I knew how to play the piano.
And then probably as a youngadult, I started well probably
around 13, 14, I startedlearning how to play the
mandolin and then took on theguitar.
And then eventually I decided Iwanted to do a CD of my own
(02:32):
original music.
So.
I completed that, but not untilI was about 30.
But but that was fun.
And so, so that was kind of,that was kind of the creativity
I thought I had.
And then now in the lastprobably almost 10 years moving
(02:53):
into playing with color.
Ooh.
It's just been a blast.
An absolute blast.
Yeah.
So.
Catherine Dutton (03:00):
What got you moving into.
You that like exploring with thefight for arts, exploring with
color and the visual side versusthe music
Chris Davies (03:07):
Well, I'll tell you completely, honestly, it was
Project Runway.
Catherine Dutton (03:12):
Really?
How so?
Ellyn Zinsmeister (03:14):
fun
Chris Davies (03:15):
well, I watched it for several seasons and I was
fascinated with these people whocould create garments to fit on
the human body and they could doit so quickly.
And one night I was going tosleep.
A design for a dress popped intomy head and I was like, oh,
(03:35):
wait.
If I have the idea coming to myhead, maybe this is something I
could try.
So I mean, it took me a longtime to get to the point where I
actually bought a machine andthen tried to sew clothing and
then failed and went toquilting.
But nonetheless, that was what,yeah, that was, that was what
got me going.
Catherine Dutton (03:54):
love that.
That's so cool.
Chris Davies (03:56):
yeah.
Yeah.
So, yeah, so now 10 years onwhatever it is.
I don't know.
I'm just having so much fun.
It's just, and you know, as youand Ella know, I, I love improv,
so I think I just finally foundexactly what I want.
But I will say this is a bitstrange, but I feel like I'm
(04:17):
starting to get interested in.
Precision and accuracy and, but,more as a process, I don't
really care if, if I'm learningabout that and I'm getting
better at it, I still don't carewhether or not the end result
looks like a perfectly createdblock.
(04:40):
It's more that interested in theprocess of learning about it.
I've gotten to the point whereright now everything's a
process.
If, if the end result is comesout and I like it, that's great.
If it doesn't, if it's a fail,it's a fail.
And then, you know, I move onand I try something else.
So, and that's, that's a reallyfun place to be, to not be
(05:02):
worried about what you're doing,you know?
Catherine Dutton (05:05):
Do you, do you feel like your experience with
music has made that easier tofocus more on the process versus
the end product?
Chris Davies (05:13):
That's a good question.
It, it's possible because that alot was always about the
process.
And not to mention, you know, ifyou're learning a song, you
practice it over and over andover and over and you, until you
get it right.
So yeah, that's a, that'stotally a possibility.
You know, I think I chatted withy'all a little bit about this
(05:35):
concept of synesthesia, which Ican't even pronounce very well.
but think I talked, yeah, Ithink I talked with you, maybe
both of you separately.
Catherine Dutton (05:45):
You have?
Chris Davies (05:45):
Yeah.
And I honestly didn't even knowwhat it was.
I didn't know.
I don't even know that that'swhat I have.
But it's.
Basically the way that I woulddescribe it, it's like I feel
like when I learned certainthings when I was young, there
must have been a crossover, anoverlay, or a cross
pollenization of the senses as Iwas learning a concept.
(06:11):
For instance, one of the thingsthat I have is all words have
colors like the word.
This will be confusing, but theword red is actually blue for me
because the vowel, the eval isblue and it colors the whole
(06:31):
word.
And so my theory is that when Iwas a little kid and I was
learning my letters, they musthave put a blue E up on the
board.
And so that transferred to mybrain as well.
Okay.
E is always blue.
That's, that's my guess.
And I, I've read that somepeople have, you know, have that
and it's, for me, fortunately,it's, it's certainly not an
(06:54):
impediment or anything.
It's not like I read a book andI'm totally distracted by the
colors.
The color is just containedwithin the word, and I know the
color belongs to the word.
I know the word is that color,and I, it doesn't.
It doesn't cause me to get offtrack with reading or anything.
That's just one of those things.
And then the other thing I'vealso noticed with songs, and I
(07:15):
am hoping this will tie back towhat you were asking is for me,
a lot of times when you'relistening to songs, first of
all, they're like, you dip intoa little river of time, right?
Because you're listening to asong for maybe three or four
minutes, but.
Several of them for me, this,I'm gonna sound crazy also, they
(07:38):
also have a they, they have a, astructure or a heft or they take
up space.
So certain songs that I listento in my brain, all of a sudden
they're, they're actually thesebig purple, red, green, deep
colors, and they're actualstructures.
(07:59):
They're actual.
I don't even know how to explainit.
So I think I was seeing all ofthat in my head with music
before I ever even got to thequilting, if that makes sense.
Catherine Dutton (08:12):
Hmm.
Chris Davies (08:13):
I don't know
Catherine Dutton (08:13):
How do you think that informs your quilting
now?
Chris Davies (08:17):
So this is what's crazy is I this piece behind me.
Catherine Dutton (08:22):
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (08:22):
Ellen and I did a challenge.
She can, she can probablyexplain better than I did.
We, what we did is we decided tospin the wheel for several weeks
and whatever color, yeah,whatever color and whatever
shape we did it.
So that's, that was the start ofthis.
(08:42):
Right here behind me.
And I realized it took me a longtime to make it.
And I, and I kept thinking, Iknow what I'm trying to do.
I'm trying to make two piecesthat are very different, but
they might still seem to gotogether.
I really like the intersectionbetween, is this interesting or
is this really weird?
(09:03):
That's just what I like.
But I realized after I did thisone that, this could represent a
lot of the songs, any of thosesongs that were written in the
late sixties or seventies wherethey had multiple parts of the
song that were related, but theywere very different.
Like maybe anything by theBeatles, like A Day in the Life,
(09:25):
or Lucy in the Sky with Diamondsor.
I don't know.
I, this one is not a, aparticular song, but it is very
much the structure of a songwith two completely different
parts, and it could be a goodflat representation of, of, of a
(09:46):
song to me.
So I don't know.
I'm just.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (09:49):
I love your your interpretations of colors.
Chris, you've got a great colorsense.
Even though we worked thatchallenge, like we gave each
other prompts and we worked fromthe same colors, our quilts are
so different.
Not just the structure, but thecolors and the, the play of
colors within our quilts aretotally different, and I love
(10:11):
seeing how yours interprets thesame prompts that I worked from.
Chris Davies (10:15):
Yeah.
that's, that's what's reallycool.
That's what was really fun aboutthat.
And we need to do it againbecause I love the one that you
created, and I think it would begreat to have those two hanging
somewhere together.
And people look at those andthen you explain to them this is
the very same thing.
And then look what two differentpeople can do.
(10:37):
I mean, this is what's sowonderful, right?
I mean,'cause you're Matilda, Imean, I don't know.
Anyway, she was so
Ellyn Zinsmeister (10:45):
way different than what you're sharing.
Chris Davies (10:47):
Very different but really fun.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (10:50):
Is that something that's important to
you in both, in both the artsand and in your music in both
areas?
Chris Davies (10:57):
Oh my goodness.
Oh yeah, yeah, for sure.
In terms of music there's a bandI've played with and a guitarist
here who is I think hands down,one of the best guitarists ever.
And we are practicing when wecan.
And you, you just, the synergywhen you're.
Working with somebody else who'sso good just amazing.
(11:19):
Yeah.
His name is Dwayne Brown andit's the band is the e flat
porch band.
If you ever get a chance to gohear him, you should go here
because they're, they'rewonderful.
They do like blues, Americana,that kind of stuff.
And then in, in terms ofquilting, of course, I mean, I
mean, I cannot tell you how, howjuiced I am to get to.
(11:39):
You know, do our prompts everymonth in quilts, unscripted, or
even just any, any, any kind ofinfluence that you get from our
Guild meetings.
Just seeing what other peopledo.
I mean, that's the wonderfulthing about it, right?
Is you can, you can see whatsomebody else is doing and let's
(12:00):
say you don't really evennecessarily like what they're
doing.
You can still take somethingaway from that, right?
You can still look at whatthey're doing and go, oh, I
still like how she did this or,or that.
And then you can, you can, youknow, tuck that away in the back
of your head and, you know,maybe it comes out later.
(12:22):
So, yeah, for sure.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (12:24):
So talk a little bit about when you start
a new project.
I.
know, I mean, where does it comefrom?
Some of it might come fromthere.
where do
Chris Davies (12:34):
I, Hmm.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (12:36):
inspiration usually come from?
Chris Davies (12:38):
I wish I knew.
I mean, I think sometimes itcomes from ideas as I'm going to
sleep.
Sometimes it's just color that Ihave.
Out in my sewing room.
Sometimes it's serendipity andone project will be next to
another and there's a fabric,right, that you go, oh, that
(12:58):
could actually work there.
It's just, it's kind of lettingthe fabric decide what it wants
to become.
And it's also, I'm to the pointwhere I'm no longer just making
things because I feel like, oh,I need to have a quilt for this.
Now I make.
Because that's what I wanna do.
(13:20):
And whatever size the objectbecomes, the object becomes that
size.
And I like that it's so muchmore freeing instead of
thinking, I've gotta someguidelines.
I will say I hardly ever use apattern when I do use a pattern.
I don't.
(13:41):
Tend to focus well enough tofollow it, and then I,
Ellyn Zinsmeister (13:47):
Yep.
Chris Davies (13:48):
yeah,
Catherine Dutton (13:49):
appreciate that.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (13:50):
I get it
Catherine Dutton (13:52):
There's, there's been many times where
I'm like, oh, I know what I needto do from here forward.
I don't need to look at thisanymore.
Chris Davies (13:58):
yeah.
Or then you get it kind of laidout partially and you go, oh,
but then I could do this.
And then you flipping piecesaround and.
Yeah.
And you end up with somethingcompletely different, but, but
that's fun too, right?
I yeah.
So, yeah.
Catherine Dutton (14:14):
When you get ideas, like if it's a, before
you go to bed idea or you'relooking at something idea, like
how do you capture those?
Is it something where you just,you're gonna remember it?
Or book where you keep thingswritten down or scraps
Chris Davies (14:26):
I'm not very good at that.
I gotta get better at that.
Usually I, I think I'm gonnaremember it or sometimes I try
to draw it, but I'm just, mydrawing is atrocious.
So it's just, it's just kind ofone of those things.
And I'll be honest, I feel likethat is the way of starting a
(14:46):
project has probably been one ofmy least successful.
I'm I'm way, yeah.
I'm way more successful.
Well, okay.
I'm way more successful atcreating something I like
because sometimes if I startwith that idea and I'm trying to
recreate it, I don't have eitherthe ability or it's not possible
(15:06):
to recreate it or.
You know, I have this idea in myhead, but I can't, I can't get
to that idea somehow.
Yeah, that's something I kind ofwanna work out, work, work on
more, but in the meantime, it'snot like I don't have other
projects that me busy the whole
Catherine Dutton (15:23):
you're more of a sit in front of the fabric and
let the fabric speak to you.
Okay.
Chris Davies (15:28):
would say so, yeah, I would definitely say so.
And again, I like thatintersection of interesting and
really weird.
It's have I crossed the lineand, and is this just flat out
ugly or is there something, youknow, interesting that I can
pursue here?
So
Catherine Dutton (15:48):
you think that that overlaps in how you
approach music as well?
Like the, that
Chris Davies (15:53):
Oh yeah, definitely.
Catherine Dutton (15:54):
and weird
Chris Davies (15:56):
Yeah.
I, yeah, my, the, the band,they, they would laugh at me
because sometimes I would writesongs and there would be in
songs, there's a meter, likemaybe four beats to the measure.
and sometimes I would writesongs that in the middle of the
song.
We would go to a different meterand then come back to that pet
(16:17):
original meter, they're like,okay, whatever
Catherine Dutton (16:21):
Keep it going
Chris Davies (16:22):
Yeah.
I don't know.
You're really gonna make uscount,
Catherine Dutton (16:27):
Do does this inspiration so with the visual
arch, you're inspired by likethe materials in front of you
with music.
How does that work forinspiration for you
Chris Davies (16:38):
I multiple ways too.
Either, either a melody comes tome or words come to me one way
or the other.
So I work on both of those andthen I just excuse me, I go to
the guitar and.
Or the piano and miss about andgo, okay, is this gonna work?
Is this not gonna work?
(16:59):
Is there something, full onidea?
Or is it, you know, justwhatever.
And it's just, it's really fun.
That's a really fun thing to dotoo.
So, yeah, just creating, it'sfun, right?
Any, any way you find to do it.
It's like you just, I mean, Ithink, I think you two are both
the same way, but you're justcompelled to create.
(17:23):
Something because it just, itfeels like it's the right thing
to do.
Yeah.
I don't
Ellyn Zinsmeister (17:29):
Do you ever, do you ever go through stretches
where you're, you're stuck,you're not feeling creative, and
what do you do about that?
Chris Davies (17:35):
Yeah.
So for music, yeah, definitely.
I've been more in a lull withmusic for a while.
With the sewing, it's prettyeasy.
I just leave the project.
Right.
Leave the project for a bit andthen come back to it and see,
you know.
See if I like it again.
I feel like when you know, evenif you're, if y'all are in the
(18:00):
middle of a project and you getto this point where you go,
okay, I'm just, I'm tired ofthis.
Right?
That happens a lot.
You just go, kind of, don'treally feel like doing this one
anymore.
But I just find if you, if youleave it.
And then you come back and youfinish it, even if you feel like
once it's finished, well, maybethat wasn't my best work.
(18:21):
I think if you go back and youlook at it a year later or two
years later or whatever, youstill are gonna look at it and
go.
There were a lot of really coolelements in this, or, you know,
I really did like this, or I'verarely gone back and said, oh, I
hate that.
You know, it's usually you justlook at it for too long and then
(18:42):
you just, you just need a breakfrom it.
So, Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (18:44):
Do ever, do you ever go back and change
something or redo something whenit's, when it's done, it's done.
How do you know when it's done?
Chris Davies (18:52):
Oh, it's just how does the mood strike me?
Do I feel like chopping thatthing up?
Yeah.
I'm gonna chop it up, or, youknow.
Yeah, let's, let's what happensif you run that rotary blade all
the way through it and you addsomething in there.
It just, I think it just dependson, on my mood, right?
I mean yeah.
I think, honestly, I feel likesome things could never, ever be
(19:15):
done, and you just have todecide.
I'm gonna say it's done.
Catherine Dutton (19:21):
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (19:22):
I, I don't know.
That's kind of where I am.
I mean,'cause you could,honestly, I feel like there's a
lot of stuff you could just workon and work and overwork and
overwork and then eventuallyyou're just like, well, what's
the joy here?
I wanna just do something else.
You know?
That's just me.
So, yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (19:43):
did you realize that you were creative?
Were you creative as a kid?
Did things like this compel youas a kid or.
Chris Davies (19:51):
I have no idea.
I mean, I'm, I will say.
There was always music in ourhouse.
My mom played the organ at ourchurch.
My dad played blues, my brothersplayed deep Purple, Jimi
Hendrix, Jackson Brown, I mean,everything, just constant music
(20:12):
in our house.
So I don't, I, that was justlike the air we all breathed.
It was not,
Catherine Dutton (20:18):
That's cool.
Chris Davies (20:18):
it was just, it was there.
So, yeah, I, I just was sointegral to me, to all of us.
I just, I just don't know.
I don't know how to describe itany other way, so, then, yeah,
sorry.
Catherine Dutton (20:34):
oh no, go ahead.
Chris Davies (20:35):
No, no.
I just was gonna say, I have noidea how it got into sewing.
I did find out.
Yeah, I did.
I did find out my.
My paternal grandmother she madequilts during the depression.
And then my sister had beensewing and quilting for quite a
while, and both she and mysister-in-law did those cute
(20:57):
little smock dresses for theirgirls when they were little.
So it was around me.
Thank goodness I had my sisterbecause she helped me when I
started doing all the quilting.
'cause I didn't know what I wasdoing.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (21:12):
But I think that's really awesome because
you started out from a place ofmore improv.
Quilting.
I'm gonna do what I want.
I'm gonna jump in.
Rather than learning all therule.
A lot of modern quilters andeven improv quilters that I know
started out very traditional andlittle by little.
Chris Davies (21:31):
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (21:31):
over you're just now coming the other way
where you're some of theprecision skills and whatnot.
And I, I mean, your work is soimpactful that, you know, it
didn't hurt you at all.
Not having the traditionalskills, know what I mean?
To start out with.
Chris Davies (21:47):
Yeah.
You know, I, I think sometimes.
Not just me, but I thinksometimes when people just wanna
do something, but they don'thave the, they don't have the I
don't wanna, I don't wanna callit a burden, but you just don't
have maybe the, the baggage ofhaving to figure, thi having to
(22:09):
think that, okay, these are allthe rules and I have to follow
'em.
If there's something you lo youlove and you just wanna do it.
You just jump into it and yougo, oh, I really like half
circles.
That's gonna be the first shapeI try to sew.
Why?
Why did I pick that?
I just,'cause I love, I lovehalf circles and, and, yeah,
(22:29):
yeah, maybe they're not easy,but I like that shape.
So I think it's I think it's a,it's a point of reference that
anyone could start from.
If they find something thatthey're interested in doing.
Right, and then you kind of, youfigure it out as you go.
Yeah.
Catherine Dutton (22:49):
always enjoyed
Ellyn Zinsmeister (22:51):
oh, go ahead, Catherine.
Catherine Dutton (22:52):
go ahead.
It's fine.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (22:53):
Do you feel like your process is changing
along the way, or do you stillcreate pretty much the same way
you did when you started out?
Chris Davies (23:02):
I have more confidence now.
I don't, I don't feel like I.
I don't, I definitely don't feellike I have to follow a pattern.
I definitely don't feel like aquilt I create has to look like
it's ordered.
Yeah, I think it's basicallyjust more confidence in, in
(23:24):
whatever happens and in beingand being okay with whatever the
result is, because if the resultisn't.
Isn't perfect or it becomessomething different, for
instance.
I feel like every quilts,unscripted quilt that we've
done, I've sent the prompt outto people and I might have had a
(23:45):
little bit of an idea in myhead, and then the things that
come back are so much moreinteresting or different are not
what I thought.
So then I'm like, okay, thisquilt is gonna be something very
different than what I thought,but it's still gonna be really,
really cool.
So I'm just like.
Wherever it's going, it's going,and I'm just gonna go on along
(24:07):
for the ride, right.
So,
Ellyn Zinsmeister (24:08):
know what you mean about that.
Yeah.
'cause there are of us in thegroup and we're all improv
quilters, but we all thinkdifferently and all have
different processes.
Yeah.
So I really try hard not to havea preconceived idea when I send
out a prompt because.
Whatever comes back.
Yeah, like you said, it's likeit's more interesting and better
(24:30):
and different than what I evenimagined.
Chris Davies (24:33):
Yes.
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (24:34):
sometimes even the theme of my quilt
appears after I get the blocksback.
You know, it's like asked for,you know, this certain kind of
blocks in a certain colorway andthey come back and I'm like, oh,
those are buildings, whatever,you know?
But yeah, it's, it's fun.
It's fun to see how everybodythinks so differently, even
(24:55):
though we're technically allmaking the same kind of quilts.
Chris Davies (24:59):
it, yeah, it shows you how much variety there is
in, in how people create.
And again, it's just, that'sjust so fun to see all the
different things.
And I love that you said thatsometimes the theme comes to you
after you get the blocks back.
I mean, how fun is that, youknow?
Ellyn Zinsmeister (25:17):
so fun.
Chris Davies (25:18):
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (25:19):
really great.
I had something else and it wentaway.
I'm sorry.
Chris Davies (25:26):
no, that's okay.
Catherine Dutton (25:29):
Chris, I have a question for you.
So I want to like kind ofconnect back a little bit to the
anesthesia piece, if you don'tmind.
So with music, it sounds likeyou do write your own lyrics
too.
Chris Davies (25:40):
Mm-hmm.
Catherine Dutton (25:41):
am I hearing that correctly?
So like, when you are doingthat, does the color do the
color of the words inform, likewhich words you use and the
order you put them in?
Chris Davies (25:51):
interesting.
Now I have to think if thathappens.
I honestly, I don't think so.
I think I'm probably thinkingmore in terms of concepts and
Phrasing.
Catherine Dutton (26:07):
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (26:08):
I, I really, I really don't think that the,
that the colors have any kind ofan effect.
But now that you've said that,I'm gonna back
Catherine Dutton (26:21):
It'd be interesting for you to look at
it and
Chris Davies (26:24):
Yeah, Analyze.
Oh
Catherine Dutton (26:26):
or, yeah.
Chris Davies (26:28):
yeah,
Catherine Dutton (26:28):
Huh?
Chris Davies (26:29):
I, I will say, like this one that I made behind
me, I would like to take somemore songs and try to interpret
how I see them into fabric.
I
Catherine Dutton (26:41):
Oh, I think that would
Ellyn Zinsmeister (26:42):
thinking
Catherine Dutton (26:43):
so cool.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (26:45):
that how cool that would be.
Chris Davies (26:46):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I would, I mean, I've seensome, I think I saw somebody do
that.
Ooh, it's been several years.
I think I saw someone take thenotes of a song or something and
then she had given them colorsand, and so I thought, okay,
that's kind of cool.
I mean, I can see doing that,but I think I'd like to actually
(27:08):
do some based on what do I seewhen I that song.
'Cause yeah, I think that wouldbe really fun.
Catherine Dutton (27:16):
I have a cousin who is a composer and he
has synesthesia and what hecomposes is he composes them in
like gradients and rainbows andlike it
Chris Davies (27:26):
oh, wow.
Catherine Dutton (27:27):
is a colorful experience for him based on what
he is composed.
Chris Davies (27:32):
does he draw it out or sketch it out so you
could actually see?
Catherine Dutton (27:35):
I've never, I've never seen that, but I
think
Chris Davies (27:38):
Oh my gosh, that would be so cool to see what he
saw as the piece, you know?
Catherine Dutton (27:45):
it would It really would be.
Chris Davies (27:46):
The things that the brain does, it's, it's
Catherine Dutton (27:48):
It's amazing.
Chris Davies (27:49):
it, It's crazy.
Catherine Dutton (27:51):
It's so cool.
Chris Davies (27:52):
Yeah.
It's cool.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
So
Ellyn Zinsmeister (27:56):
would, how would you encourage someone who
is new to either music orquilting, how would you
encourage them to explore theirown?
Or would you, tell them to learnthe rules first and then branch
out, or what would you say tosomeone just getting started
creatively?
Chris Davies (28:16):
That's a, that's actually kind of difficult just
because I know with music I had.
Piano as a basis.
And if I didn't have that I feellike that would've held me back,
or I would've at leastexperienced making music in a,
in a different way.
With the quilting, I didn't havethe background and just went for
(28:40):
it and I'm, I, I'm fine withthat.
I think.
I think it just depends.
I mean, if you have a passionabout doing something, you
should just do it.
You should just try it, learneverything you can in whatever
order, you know, whatever orderyou decide to do.
Because, you know, differentpersonalities might feel better
(29:01):
if they learn the rules.
And then there are otherpersonalities kind of like mine
that might just go, Hey, let'sjust go dive in and figure this
out.
Play and we'll see what happensand, you know, yeah.
So I think there's, there's bothof those things.
So I think, yeah, it depends onthe personality.
The main thing is if it'ssomething you wanna do, if it's
(29:21):
something you wanna try to do,just do it.
Just do it.
And I think the other thing Iwould say to anybody is, and
maybe some of this stuff is kindof cliche, but I just feel like.
You just have to not caresometimes about what the result
will be, about what other peoplewill think about it.
(29:45):
About whether you're afraidyou're gonna fail because you
are just not, you are not gonnareally get farther along in
terms of learning more aboutyourself and.
Creating experiences that youwant unless you just dive in and
(30:05):
do it.
So that's what I would say isjust, just, just do it.
Don't, don't, don't hamstringyourself because you think you
can't do it, or you think you'regonna fail or you think, you
know.
Somebody's gonna look at youryour work, and they're gonna
say, well, that's pretty crappy.
(30:26):
I don't really know why she didthat.
Because it doesn't matter.
It's your work.
And if it's what you wanna doand you're in the process, then
it really doesn't matter whatother people have to say.
And then the other thing I wouldsay that I need to remind myself
of, and I think I'm gettingbetter at it, is when you do
fail, you just go, Hey, and yougive yourself some grace.
(30:50):
you have this expectation foryourself.
I've gotta do this, I've gottado this, but no.
Catherine Dutton (30:54):
Well, and you, and you learn from it, right?
You go, okay, so what is it thatdidn't work this time?
What is it that I will dodifferently the next time?
And I think that's, that's partof that growth as humans that we
get to have is failure isactually so critical to us
discovering what does workbecause.
Chris Davies (31:14):
Nope.
Catherine Dutton (31:14):
never gonna have a hundred percent success
rate in life.
And I loved what you saidearlier, much earlier you were
talking about like when you goback and look at art or look at
things you've created like sixmonths later, a year later, five
years later, like you're like,this is awesome.
I was great.
And I think there's so much likeinternal critique that we have
that goes on.
(31:35):
As we're doing something becausewe're looking at it like so
close, right?
We're looking at all of thosedetails.
We know what those expectationswere, and just like in
relationships with people, wehave these expectations for
things, right?
But like sometimes when we stepback and we go, you know what,
this is still really beautiful,what we're creating is
(31:56):
absolutely beautiful.
It may not have been exactlywhat I had in mind as I was
doing it, but.
What it has evolved into hasbecome something incredible and,
and sometimes I'll look atthings and I'll be like, I made
that.
I wrote that.
And I
Chris Davies (32:11):
pretty cool
Catherine Dutton (32:11):
those moments, right?
Like
Chris Davies (32:13):
Yeah.
And, and I don't think we haveenough of those moments.
But yeah, I, I agree.
And I love that idea of youtalking about, you still step
back and you go, wait, this isreally great.
Yeah, I totally agree with that.
And I, I feel like personally Idon't do that enough and I wanna
do more of it, but I do try, Iam conscious of it.
(32:35):
And It applies to the artworkyou're doing.
It applies to yourrelationships.
It applies.
It applies to everything.
Catherine Dutton (32:42):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, like I think we sometimeswe put so many expectations on
things and sometimes we need totake a little bit of those off
and just go, okay, but what isright?
What is here and what can Icelebrate about what is here?
Chris Davies (32:56):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I agree a hundred percent.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (33:00):
what are you working on right now and what
are you, what's coming up ahead?
What are you looking forward toworking on?
Chris Davies (33:06):
Let's see.
I have so many things going.
I'm really trying to get thebinding done for our quilts,
unscripted landscape quilts, sothat I can enter it in Quilt Con
again with no expectations thatit will get in
Ellyn Zinsmeister (33:21):
I have found that to be the best way to
Chris Davies (33:23):
There's zero expectations there, but it's a
great goal for me to get thebinding done.
And I'm honestly looking at thatwe've talked a little bit about
potentially having a, an exhibitat some point, and so I really
want my quilts, unscriptedquilts to get done and, and be
ready and be a representation ofsome of our work.
(33:47):
So whether it goes to Quilt Conor not, which again, I don't
think it will, I wanna get thatdone.
So there's that.
And then what do I have?
Oh, this is really fun if itworks.
I just took a class from quiltFolk.
I love those ladies.
They're from, they're fromIlkley.
And it's about making a aquilted jacket and,
Catherine Dutton (34:10):
Ooh, fun.
Chris Davies (34:12):
Very fun.
So I'm gonna try to do one ofthose.
They used some traditionalblocks on theirs, but of course
I'm gonna do improv blocksonline, so, so yeah.
So I'm gonna work on that.
And then
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:29):
circle, isn't that kind of
Chris Davies (34:31):
Yeah, it
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:32):
you started out in garments and wasn't jam
and here we go.
Chris Davies (34:37):
Well, I mean, why not give it a try again and see,
if I've gotten any better and ifI haven't, hey, I've given it a
shot again, so,
Catherine Dutton (34:45):
yeah.
Chris Davies (34:47):
So
Catherine Dutton (34:47):
very fun.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:47):
Very cool.
Chris Davies (34:48):
yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:49):
Very cool.
Tell us about where you createyour quilts.
Tell us about your space.
Chris Davies (34:56):
Well, I took over our daughter's room when she
left, so, yeah, I'm very happyto have the space.
I usually use the, the bed inhere as my, sort of, as my
design wall, but then I alsohave a couple of small design
walls, and then I have two longtables, one with a sewing
(35:17):
machine and the other with abunch of projects and then a
little bookcase with, with allmy fabrics and stuff, and then
two built-in closets that arealso kind of stuffed full of
materials.
So I'm not gonna show you whatit looks like right now.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (35:33):
No.
Chris Davies (35:33):
but it's a wonderful space.
I've got a couple of windows andeverything, so yeah, I'm very
happy, very, very happy to haveit.
Would love to have a wholewarehouse, but, you know, I'll
take a room, right?
Ellyn Zinsmeister (35:46):
That can get overwhelming too though.
Chris Davies (35:48):
True.
You're right.
You're right.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (35:50):
Too many choices.
I don't
Chris Davies (35:52):
yeah.
Yeah,
Catherine Dutton (35:53):
I think I'd take a basement.
Chris Davies (35:55):
Oh yeah.
Like a whole floor.
Catherine Dutton (35:58):
yeah.
Just the whole floor at thebottom of the house, right?
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (36:02):
I like that Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:04):
Or, or maybe we'll win the Powerball one of
these days.
Catherine and I have a wholeplan.
We're all gonna have
Catherine Dutton (36:09):
We do
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:09):
to create when this plan comes to,
Chris Davies (36:11):
Oh, I love it.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:13):
We'll see
Catherine Dutton (36:14):
It does hinge on winning the lottery though,
so.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:17):
Very Yeah.
Very much so, but don't worry,be a part of that excitement if
it ever happens
Catherine Dutton (36:25):
Yep
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:26):
Is there anything that we missed that you
wanted to share?
Chris Davies (36:31):
I don't think so.
I mean, again, like I said, it'sbeen fun to talk to both of you.
No, I think it's just alwaysfun, right?
To talk about the things you'redoing.
Catherine Dutton (36:43):
It really is
Chris Davies (36:45):
Yeah.
And I do really, reallyappreciate that.
'cause it kind of helped methink a little bit more about my
process and where I am.
And then it helped me realize itis all about my process.
I don't, that's where I am rightnow.
It's yeah, I don't have somegoal, but I'm gonna finish, you
know, 50 quilts and this iswhat's gonna happen.
(37:05):
It's just No things are gonnajust get created and they're
gonna, they're gonna be whatthey need to be and yeah, it's a
lot of fun.
Catherine Dutton (37:13):
Thank you so much, Chris, for spending time
with us today.
We have really enjoyed gettingto chat with you.
Chris Davies (37:17):
Oh, it was a blast.
It was a blast.
So, yeah.
And I love your podcast.
I really love listening to all
Catherine Dutton (37:24):
you.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (37:24):
Oh, you're sweet
Chris Davies (37:25):
All the people that you've interviewed.
I, I just, I get a lot ofinsight from, you know, what
other people are
Catherine Dutton (37:31):
enjoyed it too.
Chris Davies (37:33):
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's really cool.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (37:35):
it's fun to find out how different, how
different we all are in the waywe think and the way we create.
Chris Davies (37:41):
Yeah.
And I, and I think too, takingthat time, you know, I, I think
when you take that time tolisten to what somebody is
creating, you learn a lot moreabout their, what they're doing
and their, what's going on them.
So, yeah.
thank y'all very much.
Really appreciate it.
Enjoyed it so
Ellyn Zinsmeister (38:01):
it was lots of fun.
Lots of And thanks everybody fortuning in.
We hope you enjoyed theconversation and gave you some
things to think about too.
We'll talk to you next time.
Bye-bye bye.
Welcome to Creative Crossroads.
If you're new here, we're gladyou made, you found us.
If you're been around before,we're glad you decided to come
back.
I'm Ellen.
Catherine Dutton (00:45):
and I'm Catherine.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (00:46):
And we are your creativity ambassadors.
We have some fun today.
A good friend of ours has joinedus, Chris Davies.
We met through quilting.
She is a member of the McKinneyModern Quilt Guild and also a
member of my BE Quilts onScripted.
And we've gotten to know eachother quite well over the years.
(01:07):
Chris has a lot of othercreative talents and we thought
you would enjoy hearing from herand learning about her and her
creative process.
So welcome Chris.
Chris Davies (01:18):
Thank you so much.
I'm really happy just to get tochat with y'all because you're,
you're, you're both so fun.
So this is, this is gonna be alot of fun, so,
Ellyn Zinsmeister (01:28):
Well, we feel the same way about you, so there
you go.
Before we get started, I mean, Iknow.
Your quilting process from likethe last 10 years or so.
But tell us more about yourcreativity.
I know you also have music
Chris Davies (01:46):
Yeah.
Honestly, I think I startedquilting about 10 years ago.
Prior to that, I had noexperience with a sewing
machine.
In fact, I thought I hadinherited my mom's jeans and I
couldn't sew a button on.
I just, yeah.
So I didn't even know that waspossible.
But my whole family is verymusical, so we had always, there
(02:11):
was always music in the houseand I had taken piano lessons,
so I knew how to play the piano.
And then probably as a youngadult, I started well probably
around 13, 14, I startedlearning how to play the
mandolin and then took on theguitar.
And then eventually I decided Iwanted to do a CD of my own
(02:32):
original music.
So.
I completed that, but not untilI was about 30.
But but that was fun.
And so, so that was kind of,that was kind of the creativity
I thought I had.
And then now in the lastprobably almost 10 years moving
(02:53):
into playing with color.
Ooh.
It's just been a blast.
An absolute blast.
Yeah.
So.
Catherine Dutton (03:00):
What got you moving into.
You that like exploring with thefight for arts, exploring with
color and the visual side versusthe music
Chris Davies (03:07):
Well, I'll tell you completely, honestly, it was
Project Runway.
Catherine Dutton (03:12):
Really?
How so?
Ellyn Zinsmeister (03:14):
fun
Chris Davies (03:15):
well, I watched it for several seasons and I was
fascinated with these people whocould create garments to fit on
the human body and they could doit so quickly.
And one night I was going tosleep.
A design for a dress popped intomy head and I was like, oh,
(03:35):
wait.
If I have the idea coming to myhead, maybe this is something I
could try.
So I mean, it took me a longtime to get to the point where I
actually bought a machine andthen tried to sew clothing and
then failed and went toquilting.
But nonetheless, that was what,yeah, that was, that was what
got me going.
Catherine Dutton (03:54):
love that.
That's so cool.
Chris Davies (03:56):
yeah.
Yeah.
So, yeah, so now 10 years onwhatever it is.
I don't know.
I'm just having so much fun.
It's just, and you know, as youand Ella know, I, I love improv,
so I think I just finally foundexactly what I want.
But I will say this is a bitstrange, but I feel like I'm
(04:17):
starting to get interested in.
Precision and accuracy and, but,more as a process, I don't
really care if, if I'm learningabout that and I'm getting
better at it, I still don't carewhether or not the end result
looks like a perfectly createdblock.
(04:40):
It's more that interested in theprocess of learning about it.
I've gotten to the point whereright now everything's a
process.
If, if the end result is comesout and I like it, that's great.
If it doesn't, if it's a fail,it's a fail.
And then, you know, I move onand I try something else.
So, and that's, that's a reallyfun place to be, to not be
(05:02):
worried about what you're doing,you know?
Catherine Dutton (05:05):
Do you, do you feel like your experience with
music has made that easier tofocus more on the process versus
the end product?
Chris Davies (05:13):
That's a good question.
It, it's possible because that alot was always about the
process.
And not to mention, you know, ifyou're learning a song, you
practice it over and over andover and over and you, until you
get it right.
So yeah, that's a, that'stotally a possibility.
You know, I think I chatted withy'all a little bit about this
(05:35):
concept of synesthesia, which Ican't even pronounce very well.
but think I talked, yeah, Ithink I talked with you, maybe
both of you separately.
Catherine Dutton (05:45):
You have?
Chris Davies (05:45):
Yeah.
And I honestly didn't even knowwhat it was.
I didn't know.
I don't even know that that'swhat I have.
But it's.
Basically the way that I woulddescribe it, it's like I feel
like when I learned certainthings when I was young, there
must have been a crossover, anoverlay, or a cross
pollenization of the senses as Iwas learning a concept.
(06:11):
For instance, one of the thingsthat I have is all words have
colors like the word.
This will be confusing, but theword red is actually blue for me
because the vowel, the eval isblue and it colors the whole
(06:31):
word.
And so my theory is that when Iwas a little kid and I was
learning my letters, they musthave put a blue E up on the
board.
And so that transferred to mybrain as well.
Okay.
E is always blue.
That's, that's my guess.
And I, I've read that somepeople have, you know, have that
and it's, for me, fortunately,it's, it's certainly not an
(06:54):
impediment or anything.
It's not like I read a book andI'm totally distracted by the
colors.
The color is just containedwithin the word, and I know the
color belongs to the word.
I know the word is that color,and I, it doesn't.
It doesn't cause me to get offtrack with reading or anything.
That's just one of those things.
And then the other thing I'vealso noticed with songs, and I
(07:15):
am hoping this will tie back towhat you were asking is for me,
a lot of times when you'relistening to songs, first of
all, they're like, you dip intoa little river of time, right?
Because you're listening to asong for maybe three or four
minutes, but.
Several of them for me, this,I'm gonna sound crazy also, they
(07:38):
also have a they, they have a, astructure or a heft or they take
up space.
So certain songs that I listento in my brain, all of a sudden
they're, they're actually thesebig purple, red, green, deep
colors, and they're actualstructures.
(07:59):
They're actual.
I don't even know how to explainit.
So I think I was seeing all ofthat in my head with music
before I ever even got to thequilting, if that makes sense.
Catherine Dutton (08:12):
Hmm.
Chris Davies (08:13):
I don't know
Catherine Dutton (08:13):
How do you think that informs your quilting
now?
Chris Davies (08:17):
So this is what's crazy is I this piece behind me.
Catherine Dutton (08:22):
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (08:22):
Ellen and I did a challenge.
She can, she can probablyexplain better than I did.
We, what we did is we decided tospin the wheel for several weeks
and whatever color, yeah,whatever color and whatever
shape we did it.
So that's, that was the start ofthis.
(08:42):
Right here behind me.
And I realized it took me a longtime to make it.
And I, and I kept thinking, Iknow what I'm trying to do.
I'm trying to make two piecesthat are very different, but
they might still seem to gotogether.
I really like the intersectionbetween, is this interesting or
is this really weird?
(09:03):
That's just what I like.
But I realized after I did thisone that, this could represent a
lot of the songs, any of thosesongs that were written in the
late sixties or seventies wherethey had multiple parts of the
song that were related, but theywere very different.
Like maybe anything by theBeatles, like A Day in the Life,
(09:25):
or Lucy in the Sky with Diamondsor.
I don't know.
I, this one is not a, aparticular song, but it is very
much the structure of a songwith two completely different
parts, and it could be a goodflat representation of, of, of a
(09:46):
song to me.
So I don't know.
I'm just.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (09:49):
I love your your interpretations of colors.
Chris, you've got a great colorsense.
Even though we worked thatchallenge, like we gave each
other prompts and we worked fromthe same colors, our quilts are
so different.
Not just the structure, but thecolors and the, the play of
colors within our quilts aretotally different, and I love
(10:11):
seeing how yours interprets thesame prompts that I worked from.
Chris Davies (10:15):
Yeah.
that's, that's what's reallycool.
That's what was really fun aboutthat.
And we need to do it againbecause I love the one that you
created, and I think it would begreat to have those two hanging
somewhere together.
And people look at those andthen you explain to them this is
the very same thing.
And then look what two differentpeople can do.
(10:37):
I mean, this is what's sowonderful, right?
I mean,'cause you're Matilda, Imean, I don't know.
Anyway, she was so
Ellyn Zinsmeister (10:45):
way different than what you're sharing.
Chris Davies (10:47):
Very different but really fun.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (10:50):
Is that something that's important to
you in both, in both the artsand and in your music in both
areas?
Chris Davies (10:57):
Oh my goodness.
Oh yeah, yeah, for sure.
In terms of music there's a bandI've played with and a guitarist
here who is I think hands down,one of the best guitarists ever.
And we are practicing when wecan.
And you, you just, the synergywhen you're.
Working with somebody else who'sso good just amazing.
(11:19):
Yeah.
His name is Dwayne Brown andit's the band is the e flat
porch band.
If you ever get a chance to gohear him, you should go here
because they're, they'rewonderful.
They do like blues, Americana,that kind of stuff.
And then in, in terms ofquilting, of course, I mean, I
mean, I cannot tell you how, howjuiced I am to get to.
(11:39):
You know, do our prompts everymonth in quilts, unscripted, or
even just any, any, any kind ofinfluence that you get from our
Guild meetings.
Just seeing what other peopledo.
I mean, that's the wonderfulthing about it, right?
Is you can, you can see whatsomebody else is doing and let's
(12:00):
say you don't really evennecessarily like what they're
doing.
You can still take somethingaway from that, right?
You can still look at whatthey're doing and go, oh, I
still like how she did this or,or that.
And then you can, you can, youknow, tuck that away in the back
of your head and, you know,maybe it comes out later.
(12:22):
So, yeah, for sure.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (12:24):
So talk a little bit about when you start
a new project.
I.
know, I mean, where does it comefrom?
Some of it might come fromthere.
where do
Chris Davies (12:34):
I, Hmm.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (12:36):
inspiration usually come from?
Chris Davies (12:38):
I wish I knew.
I mean, I think sometimes itcomes from ideas as I'm going to
sleep.
Sometimes it's just color that Ihave.
Out in my sewing room.
Sometimes it's serendipity andone project will be next to
another and there's a fabric,right, that you go, oh, that
(12:58):
could actually work there.
It's just, it's kind of lettingthe fabric decide what it wants
to become.
And it's also, I'm to the pointwhere I'm no longer just making
things because I feel like, oh,I need to have a quilt for this.
Now I make.
Because that's what I wanna do.
(13:20):
And whatever size the objectbecomes, the object becomes that
size.
And I like that it's so muchmore freeing instead of
thinking, I've gotta someguidelines.
I will say I hardly ever use apattern when I do use a pattern.
I don't.
(13:41):
Tend to focus well enough tofollow it, and then I,
Ellyn Zinsmeister (13:47):
Yep.
Chris Davies (13:48):
yeah,
Catherine Dutton (13:49):
appreciate that.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (13:50):
I get it
Catherine Dutton (13:52):
There's, there's been many times where
I'm like, oh, I know what I needto do from here forward.
I don't need to look at thisanymore.
Chris Davies (13:58):
yeah.
Or then you get it kind of laidout partially and you go, oh,
but then I could do this.
And then you flipping piecesaround and.
Yeah.
And you end up with somethingcompletely different, but, but
that's fun too, right?
I yeah.
So, yeah.
Catherine Dutton (14:14):
When you get ideas, like if it's a, before
you go to bed idea or you'relooking at something idea, like
how do you capture those?
Is it something where you just,you're gonna remember it?
Or book where you keep thingswritten down or scraps
Chris Davies (14:26):
I'm not very good at that.
I gotta get better at that.
Usually I, I think I'm gonnaremember it or sometimes I try
to draw it, but I'm just, mydrawing is atrocious.
So it's just, it's just kind ofone of those things.
And I'll be honest, I feel likethat is the way of starting a
(14:46):
project has probably been one ofmy least successful.
I'm I'm way, yeah.
I'm way more successful.
Well, okay.
I'm way more successful atcreating something I like
because sometimes if I startwith that idea and I'm trying to
recreate it, I don't have eitherthe ability or it's not possible
(15:06):
to recreate it or.
You know, I have this idea in myhead, but I can't, I can't get
to that idea somehow.
Yeah, that's something I kind ofwanna work out, work, work on
more, but in the meantime, it'snot like I don't have other
projects that me busy the whole
Catherine Dutton (15:23):
you're more of a sit in front of the fabric and
let the fabric speak to you.
Okay.
Chris Davies (15:28):
would say so, yeah, I would definitely say so.
And again, I like thatintersection of interesting and
really weird.
It's have I crossed the lineand, and is this just flat out
ugly or is there something, youknow, interesting that I can
pursue here?
So
Catherine Dutton (15:48):
you think that that overlaps in how you
approach music as well?
Like the, that
Chris Davies (15:53):
Oh yeah, definitely.
Catherine Dutton (15:54):
and weird
Chris Davies (15:56):
Yeah.
I, yeah, my, the, the band,they, they would laugh at me
because sometimes I would writesongs and there would be in
songs, there's a meter, likemaybe four beats to the measure.
and sometimes I would writesongs that in the middle of the
song.
We would go to a different meterand then come back to that pet
(16:17):
original meter, they're like,okay, whatever
Catherine Dutton (16:21):
Keep it going
Chris Davies (16:22):
Yeah.
I don't know.
You're really gonna make uscount,
Catherine Dutton (16:27):
Do does this inspiration so with the visual
arch, you're inspired by likethe materials in front of you
with music.
How does that work forinspiration for you
Chris Davies (16:38):
I multiple ways too.
Either, either a melody comes tome or words come to me one way
or the other.
So I work on both of those andthen I just excuse me, I go to
the guitar and.
Or the piano and miss about andgo, okay, is this gonna work?
Is this not gonna work?
(16:59):
Is there something, full onidea?
Or is it, you know, justwhatever.
And it's just, it's really fun.
That's a really fun thing to dotoo.
So, yeah, just creating, it'sfun, right?
Any, any way you find to do it.
It's like you just, I mean, Ithink, I think you two are both
the same way, but you're justcompelled to create.
(17:23):
Something because it just, itfeels like it's the right thing
to do.
Yeah.
I don't
Ellyn Zinsmeister (17:29):
Do you ever, do you ever go through stretches
where you're, you're stuck,you're not feeling creative, and
what do you do about that?
Chris Davies (17:35):
Yeah.
So for music, yeah, definitely.
I've been more in a lull withmusic for a while.
With the sewing, it's prettyeasy.
I just leave the project.
Right.
Leave the project for a bit andthen come back to it and see,
you know.
See if I like it again.
I feel like when you know, evenif you're, if y'all are in the
(18:00):
middle of a project and you getto this point where you go,
okay, I'm just, I'm tired ofthis.
Right?
That happens a lot.
You just go, kind of, don'treally feel like doing this one
anymore.
But I just find if you, if youleave it.
And then you come back and youfinish it, even if you feel like
once it's finished, well, maybethat wasn't my best work.
(18:21):
I think if you go back and youlook at it a year later or two
years later or whatever, youstill are gonna look at it and
go.
There were a lot of really coolelements in this, or, you know,
I really did like this, or I'verarely gone back and said, oh, I
hate that.
You know, it's usually you justlook at it for too long and then
(18:42):
you just, you just need a breakfrom it.
So, Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (18:44):
Do ever, do you ever go back and change
something or redo something whenit's, when it's done, it's done.
How do you know when it's done?
Chris Davies (18:52):
Oh, it's just how does the mood strike me?
Do I feel like chopping thatthing up?
Yeah.
I'm gonna chop it up, or, youknow.
Yeah, let's, let's what happensif you run that rotary blade all
the way through it and you addsomething in there.
It just, I think it just dependson, on my mood, right?
I mean yeah.
I think, honestly, I feel likesome things could never, ever be
(19:15):
done, and you just have todecide.
I'm gonna say it's done.
Catherine Dutton (19:21):
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (19:22):
I, I don't know.
That's kind of where I am.
I mean,'cause you could,honestly, I feel like there's a
lot of stuff you could just workon and work and overwork and
overwork and then eventuallyyou're just like, well, what's
the joy here?
I wanna just do something else.
You know?
That's just me.
So, yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (19:43):
did you realize that you were creative?
Were you creative as a kid?
Did things like this compel youas a kid or.
Chris Davies (19:51):
I have no idea.
I mean, I'm, I will say.
There was always music in ourhouse.
My mom played the organ at ourchurch.
My dad played blues, my brothersplayed deep Purple, Jimi
Hendrix, Jackson Brown, I mean,everything, just constant music
(20:12):
in our house.
So I don't, I, that was justlike the air we all breathed.
It was not,
Catherine Dutton (20:18):
That's cool.
Chris Davies (20:18):
it was just, it was there.
So, yeah, I, I just was sointegral to me, to all of us.
I just, I just don't know.
I don't know how to describe itany other way, so, then, yeah,
sorry.
Catherine Dutton (20:34):
oh no, go ahead.
Chris Davies (20:35):
No, no.
I just was gonna say, I have noidea how it got into sewing.
I did find out.
Yeah, I did.
I did find out my.
My paternal grandmother she madequilts during the depression.
And then my sister had beensewing and quilting for quite a
while, and both she and mysister-in-law did those cute
(20:57):
little smock dresses for theirgirls when they were little.
So it was around me.
Thank goodness I had my sisterbecause she helped me when I
started doing all the quilting.
'cause I didn't know what I wasdoing.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (21:12):
But I think that's really awesome because
you started out from a place ofmore improv.
Quilting.
I'm gonna do what I want.
I'm gonna jump in.
Rather than learning all therule.
A lot of modern quilters andeven improv quilters that I know
started out very traditional andlittle by little.
Chris Davies (21:31):
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (21:31):
over you're just now coming the other way
where you're some of theprecision skills and whatnot.
And I, I mean, your work is soimpactful that, you know, it
didn't hurt you at all.
Not having the traditionalskills, know what I mean?
To start out with.
Chris Davies (21:47):
Yeah.
You know, I, I think sometimes.
Not just me, but I thinksometimes when people just wanna
do something, but they don'thave the, they don't have the I
don't wanna, I don't wanna callit a burden, but you just don't
have maybe the, the baggage ofhaving to figure, thi having to
(22:09):
think that, okay, these are allthe rules and I have to follow
'em.
If there's something you lo youlove and you just wanna do it.
You just jump into it and yougo, oh, I really like half
circles.
That's gonna be the first shapeI try to sew.
Why?
Why did I pick that?
I just,'cause I love, I lovehalf circles and, and, yeah,
(22:29):
yeah, maybe they're not easy,but I like that shape.
So I think it's I think it's a,it's a point of reference that
anyone could start from.
If they find something thatthey're interested in doing.
Right, and then you kind of, youfigure it out as you go.
Yeah.
Catherine Dutton (22:49):
always enjoyed
Ellyn Zinsmeister (22:51):
oh, go ahead, Catherine.
Catherine Dutton (22:52):
go ahead.
It's fine.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (22:53):
Do you feel like your process is changing
along the way, or do you stillcreate pretty much the same way
you did when you started out?
Chris Davies (23:02):
I have more confidence now.
I don't, I don't feel like I.
I don't, I definitely don't feellike I have to follow a pattern.
I definitely don't feel like aquilt I create has to look like
it's ordered.
Yeah, I think it's basicallyjust more confidence in, in
(23:24):
whatever happens and in beingand being okay with whatever the
result is, because if the resultisn't.
Isn't perfect or it becomessomething different, for
instance.
I feel like every quilts,unscripted quilt that we've
done, I've sent the prompt outto people and I might have had a
(23:45):
little bit of an idea in myhead, and then the things that
come back are so much moreinteresting or different are not
what I thought.
So then I'm like, okay, thisquilt is gonna be something very
different than what I thought,but it's still gonna be really,
really cool.
So I'm just like.
Wherever it's going, it's going,and I'm just gonna go on along
(24:07):
for the ride, right.
So,
Ellyn Zinsmeister (24:08):
know what you mean about that.
Yeah.
'cause there are of us in thegroup and we're all improv
quilters, but we all thinkdifferently and all have
different processes.
Yeah.
So I really try hard not to havea preconceived idea when I send
out a prompt because.
Whatever comes back.
Yeah, like you said, it's likeit's more interesting and better
(24:30):
and different than what I evenimagined.
Chris Davies (24:33):
Yes.
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (24:34):
sometimes even the theme of my quilt
appears after I get the blocksback.
You know, it's like asked for,you know, this certain kind of
blocks in a certain colorway andthey come back and I'm like, oh,
those are buildings, whatever,you know?
But yeah, it's, it's fun.
It's fun to see how everybodythinks so differently, even
(24:55):
though we're technically allmaking the same kind of quilts.
Chris Davies (24:59):
it, yeah, it shows you how much variety there is
in, in how people create.
And again, it's just, that'sjust so fun to see all the
different things.
And I love that you said thatsometimes the theme comes to you
after you get the blocks back.
I mean, how fun is that, youknow?
Ellyn Zinsmeister (25:17):
so fun.
Chris Davies (25:18):
Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (25:19):
really great.
I had something else and it wentaway.
I'm sorry.
Chris Davies (25:26):
no, that's okay.
Catherine Dutton (25:29):
Chris, I have a question for you.
So I want to like kind ofconnect back a little bit to the
anesthesia piece, if you don'tmind.
So with music, it sounds likeyou do write your own lyrics
too.
Chris Davies (25:40):
Mm-hmm.
Catherine Dutton (25:41):
am I hearing that correctly?
So like, when you are doingthat, does the color do the
color of the words inform, likewhich words you use and the
order you put them in?
Chris Davies (25:51):
interesting.
Now I have to think if thathappens.
I honestly, I don't think so.
I think I'm probably thinkingmore in terms of concepts and
Phrasing.
Catherine Dutton (26:07):
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (26:08):
I, I really, I really don't think that the,
that the colors have any kind ofan effect.
But now that you've said that,I'm gonna back
Catherine Dutton (26:21):
It'd be interesting for you to look at
it and
Chris Davies (26:24):
Yeah, Analyze.
Oh
Catherine Dutton (26:26):
or, yeah.
Chris Davies (26:28):
yeah,
Catherine Dutton (26:28):
Huh?
Chris Davies (26:29):
I, I will say, like this one that I made behind
me, I would like to take somemore songs and try to interpret
how I see them into fabric.
I
Catherine Dutton (26:41):
Oh, I think that would
Ellyn Zinsmeister (26:42):
thinking
Catherine Dutton (26:43):
so cool.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (26:45):
that how cool that would be.
Chris Davies (26:46):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I would, I mean, I've seensome, I think I saw somebody do
that.
Ooh, it's been several years.
I think I saw someone take thenotes of a song or something and
then she had given them colorsand, and so I thought, okay,
that's kind of cool.
I mean, I can see doing that,but I think I'd like to actually
(27:08):
do some based on what do I seewhen I that song.
'Cause yeah, I think that wouldbe really fun.
Catherine Dutton (27:16):
I have a cousin who is a composer and he
has synesthesia and what hecomposes is he composes them in
like gradients and rainbows andlike it
Chris Davies (27:26):
oh, wow.
Catherine Dutton (27:27):
is a colorful experience for him based on what
he is composed.
Chris Davies (27:32):
does he draw it out or sketch it out so you
could actually see?
Catherine Dutton (27:35):
I've never, I've never seen that, but I
think
Chris Davies (27:38):
Oh my gosh, that would be so cool to see what he
saw as the piece, you know?
Catherine Dutton (27:45):
it would It really would be.
Chris Davies (27:46):
The things that the brain does, it's, it's
Catherine Dutton (27:48):
It's amazing.
Chris Davies (27:49):
it, It's crazy.
Catherine Dutton (27:51):
It's so cool.
Chris Davies (27:52):
Yeah.
It's cool.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
So
Ellyn Zinsmeister (27:56):
would, how would you encourage someone who
is new to either music orquilting, how would you
encourage them to explore theirown?
Or would you, tell them to learnthe rules first and then branch
out, or what would you say tosomeone just getting started
creatively?
Chris Davies (28:16):
That's a, that's actually kind of difficult just
because I know with music I had.
Piano as a basis.
And if I didn't have that I feellike that would've held me back,
or I would've at leastexperienced making music in a,
in a different way.
With the quilting, I didn't havethe background and just went for
(28:40):
it and I'm, I, I'm fine withthat.
I think.
I think it just depends.
I mean, if you have a passionabout doing something, you
should just do it.
You should just try it, learneverything you can in whatever
order, you know, whatever orderyou decide to do.
Because, you know, differentpersonalities might feel better
(29:01):
if they learn the rules.
And then there are otherpersonalities kind of like mine
that might just go, Hey, let'sjust go dive in and figure this
out.
Play and we'll see what happensand, you know, yeah.
So I think there's, there's bothof those things.
So I think, yeah, it depends onthe personality.
The main thing is if it'ssomething you wanna do, if it's
(29:21):
something you wanna try to do,just do it.
Just do it.
And I think the other thing Iwould say to anybody is, and
maybe some of this stuff is kindof cliche, but I just feel like.
You just have to not caresometimes about what the result
will be, about what other peoplewill think about it.
(29:45):
About whether you're afraidyou're gonna fail because you
are just not, you are not gonnareally get farther along in
terms of learning more aboutyourself and.
Creating experiences that youwant unless you just dive in and
(30:05):
do it.
So that's what I would say isjust, just, just do it.
Don't, don't, don't hamstringyourself because you think you
can't do it, or you think you'regonna fail or you think, you
know.
Somebody's gonna look at youryour work, and they're gonna
say, well, that's pretty crappy.
(30:26):
I don't really know why she didthat.
Because it doesn't matter.
It's your work.
And if it's what you wanna doand you're in the process, then
it really doesn't matter whatother people have to say.
And then the other thing I wouldsay that I need to remind myself
of, and I think I'm gettingbetter at it, is when you do
fail, you just go, Hey, and yougive yourself some grace.
(30:50):
you have this expectation foryourself.
I've gotta do this, I've gottado this, but no.
Catherine Dutton (30:54):
Well, and you, and you learn from it, right?
You go, okay, so what is it thatdidn't work this time?
What is it that I will dodifferently the next time?
And I think that's, that's partof that growth as humans that we
get to have is failure isactually so critical to us
discovering what does workbecause.
Chris Davies (31:14):
Nope.
Catherine Dutton (31:14):
never gonna have a hundred percent success
rate in life.
And I loved what you saidearlier, much earlier you were
talking about like when you goback and look at art or look at
things you've created like sixmonths later, a year later, five
years later, like you're like,this is awesome.
I was great.
And I think there's so much likeinternal critique that we have
that goes on.
(31:35):
As we're doing something becausewe're looking at it like so
close, right?
We're looking at all of thosedetails.
We know what those expectationswere, and just like in
relationships with people, wehave these expectations for
things, right?
But like sometimes when we stepback and we go, you know what,
this is still really beautiful,what we're creating is
(31:56):
absolutely beautiful.
It may not have been exactlywhat I had in mind as I was
doing it, but.
What it has evolved into hasbecome something incredible and,
and sometimes I'll look atthings and I'll be like, I made
that.
I wrote that.
And I
Chris Davies (32:11):
pretty cool
Catherine Dutton (32:11):
those moments, right?
Like
Chris Davies (32:13):
Yeah.
And, and I don't think we haveenough of those moments.
But yeah, I, I agree.
And I love that idea of youtalking about, you still step
back and you go, wait, this isreally great.
Yeah, I totally agree with that.
And I, I feel like personally Idon't do that enough and I wanna
do more of it, but I do try, Iam conscious of it.
(32:35):
And It applies to the artworkyou're doing.
It applies to yourrelationships.
It applies.
It applies to everything.
Catherine Dutton (32:42):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, like I think we sometimeswe put so many expectations on
things and sometimes we need totake a little bit of those off
and just go, okay, but what isright?
What is here and what can Icelebrate about what is here?
Chris Davies (32:56):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I agree a hundred percent.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (33:00):
what are you working on right now and what
are you, what's coming up ahead?
What are you looking forward toworking on?
Chris Davies (33:06):
Let's see.
I have so many things going.
I'm really trying to get thebinding done for our quilts,
unscripted landscape quilts, sothat I can enter it in Quilt Con
again with no expectations thatit will get in
Ellyn Zinsmeister (33:21):
I have found that to be the best way to
Chris Davies (33:23):
There's zero expectations there, but it's a
great goal for me to get thebinding done.
And I'm honestly looking at thatwe've talked a little bit about
potentially having a, an exhibitat some point, and so I really
want my quilts, unscriptedquilts to get done and, and be
ready and be a representation ofsome of our work.
(33:47):
So whether it goes to Quilt Conor not, which again, I don't
think it will, I wanna get thatdone.
So there's that.
And then what do I have?
Oh, this is really fun if itworks.
I just took a class from quiltFolk.
I love those ladies.
They're from, they're fromIlkley.
And it's about making a aquilted jacket and,
Catherine Dutton (34:10):
Ooh, fun.
Chris Davies (34:12):
Very fun.
So I'm gonna try to do one ofthose.
They used some traditionalblocks on theirs, but of course
I'm gonna do improv blocksonline, so, so yeah.
So I'm gonna work on that.
And then
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:29):
circle, isn't that kind of
Chris Davies (34:31):
Yeah, it
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:32):
you started out in garments and wasn't jam
and here we go.
Chris Davies (34:37):
Well, I mean, why not give it a try again and see,
if I've gotten any better and ifI haven't, hey, I've given it a
shot again, so,
Catherine Dutton (34:45):
yeah.
Chris Davies (34:47):
So
Catherine Dutton (34:47):
very fun.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:47):
Very cool.
Chris Davies (34:48):
yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (34:49):
Very cool.
Tell us about where you createyour quilts.
Tell us about your space.
Chris Davies (34:56):
Well, I took over our daughter's room when she
left, so, yeah, I'm very happyto have the space.
I usually use the, the bed inhere as my, sort of, as my
design wall, but then I alsohave a couple of small design
walls, and then I have two longtables, one with a sewing
(35:17):
machine and the other with abunch of projects and then a
little bookcase with, with allmy fabrics and stuff, and then
two built-in closets that arealso kind of stuffed full of
materials.
So I'm not gonna show you whatit looks like right now.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (35:33):
No.
Chris Davies (35:33):
but it's a wonderful space.
I've got a couple of windows andeverything, so yeah, I'm very
happy, very, very happy to haveit.
Would love to have a wholewarehouse, but, you know, I'll
take a room, right?
Ellyn Zinsmeister (35:46):
That can get overwhelming too though.
Chris Davies (35:48):
True.
You're right.
You're right.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (35:50):
Too many choices.
I don't
Chris Davies (35:52):
yeah.
Yeah,
Catherine Dutton (35:53):
I think I'd take a basement.
Chris Davies (35:55):
Oh yeah.
Like a whole floor.
Catherine Dutton (35:58):
yeah.
Just the whole floor at thebottom of the house, right?
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Chris Davies (36:02):
I like that Yeah.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:04):
Or, or maybe we'll win the Powerball one of
these days.
Catherine and I have a wholeplan.
We're all gonna have
Catherine Dutton (36:09):
We do
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:09):
to create when this plan comes to,
Chris Davies (36:11):
Oh, I love it.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:13):
We'll see
Catherine Dutton (36:14):
It does hinge on winning the lottery though,
so.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:17):
Very Yeah.
Very much so, but don't worry,be a part of that excitement if
it ever happens
Catherine Dutton (36:25):
Yep
Ellyn Zinsmeister (36:26):
Is there anything that we missed that you
wanted to share?
Chris Davies (36:31):
I don't think so.
I mean, again, like I said, it'sbeen fun to talk to both of you.
No, I think it's just alwaysfun, right?
To talk about the things you'redoing.
Catherine Dutton (36:43):
It really is
Chris Davies (36:45):
Yeah.
And I do really, reallyappreciate that.
'cause it kind of helped methink a little bit more about my
process and where I am.
And then it helped me realize itis all about my process.
I don't, that's where I am rightnow.
It's yeah, I don't have somegoal, but I'm gonna finish, you
know, 50 quilts and this iswhat's gonna happen.
(37:05):
It's just No things are gonnajust get created and they're
gonna, they're gonna be whatthey need to be and yeah, it's a
lot of fun.
Catherine Dutton (37:13):
Thank you so much, Chris, for spending time
with us today.
We have really enjoyed gettingto chat with you.
Chris Davies (37:17):
Oh, it was a blast.
It was a blast.
So, yeah.
And I love your podcast.
I really love listening to all
Catherine Dutton (37:24):
you.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (37:24):
Oh, you're sweet
Chris Davies (37:25):
All the people that you've interviewed.
I, I just, I get a lot ofinsight from, you know, what
other people are
Catherine Dutton (37:31):
enjoyed it too.
Chris Davies (37:33):
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's really cool.
Ellyn Zinsmeister (37:35):
it's fun to find out how different, how
different we all are in the waywe think and the way we create.
Chris Davies (37:41):
Yeah.
And I, and I think too, takingthat time, you know, I, I think
when you take that time tolisten to what somebody is
creating, you learn a lot moreabout their, what they're doing
and their, what's going on them.
So, yeah.
thank y'all very much.
Really appreciate it.
Enjoyed it so
Ellyn Zinsmeister (38:01):
it was lots of fun.
Lots of And thanks everybody fortuning in.
We hope you enjoyed theconversation and gave you some
things to think about too.
We'll talk to you next time.
Bye-bye bye.
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