Weekly Report 2014 - 09/26

Two more leaves and a frog left to go
on Night Vision.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Have you ever noticed how the direction your art takes you reflects your non art life? I have. Even knowing that this happened time and time again I am startled when I "see" the connection when none was intended. My children are both in their 30's now. When they were teenage poster children of adolescent rebellion my work was abstract, but meticulously controlled. The titles were downright scary, reflecting my state of mind, such as Balancing Act, Hope Springs Eternal, Insomnia and Breaking Through Depression. When I gathered the images reflecting the last week's work I couldn't help but notice how much I am using green. Green is my go to color when I crave a long compassionate soothing hug. This summer has been particularly difficult for the seniors in my life. We lost my father-in-law, nearly lost my mother-in-law a few weeks later, lost her brother, one of my  sisters was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer two weeks ago and yesterday I signed the papers for the aunt whom I have been caring for for over 10 years to be enrolled in hospice. Just reading that sentence has me gasping for breath. However, studying the gentle curves of Night Vision and feeling the calming influence of the green, I can relax. How very fortunate I am to be able to self sooth through my art.

Bumble Bees in Flight
A free motion quilting design adapted
from Lori Kennedy's design

All three projects I worked on this week feature green. Here they are:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing - Done

Often at this stage of a quilt I am beating myself up over the fact that I don't feel the work is coming together. So far, so good. I am pleased.

LifeBook 2014 Lesson 39
Covering up old work to make it new

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

Do check out Lori Kennedy's blog The Inbox Jaunt for a wonderful ongoing collection of free motion quilting designs. I'm fan. Can you tell?

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

This week's lesson was about salvaging old work intuitively, with the flair and confidence of a preschooler wielding the paint brush. It's done. I've done better. It is times like this when I need to remember that failure and/or disappointment in one's work is part of the process.


I expect my time to create art next week will be limited. Any time I do have will focus on:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


I am now linking up to two blogs on Fridays. The first is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays and the second is Free Motion Mavericks.

Week in Review 2014 - 09/12

 Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Free motion quilting practice piece.
The cheater panel is a Leah Day design.

John Lennon, in his song, Beautiful Boy wrote "Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans." My research into where this quote came from  speaks to the quote. Once again, one thought leads to the next and then the next and I have the itch to know just a bit more. In fact I can get so far afield that I nearly forget what started the research in the first place. In this case it was because I planned to use the Lennon quote as my opening sentence. Confession, I do not think about what I am going to write about in my weekly blog much more than a couple of hours before I sit down to write. Even then I just let my mind drift over the week hoping that it will snag on a subject. Invariably whatever I plan to write changes fairly dramatically from that first glimmer of an idea. What I did think about is that those of you who have taken time to share your thoughts about my blog have often wished that you could be as organized and focused as I am. Yes, I am organized and focused. However, every week and every day "Life is what happens to me when I am busy making other plans."

Three leaves of Night Vision have been pieced.
Just three more to go plus the poison dart frog.

Despite a week of constant interruptions, commitments and demands I did make progress on all three of my chosen focus projects. Here is how that went:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing - Done

I would have liked to have pieced more. In fact I thought I could finish piecing two leaves, not just one this week. But then life happened… Sigh!




2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

I created a filler design that I tested in the circle that
surrounds the goddess. On paper it looks like seed pods.
It definitely needs more open space to shine.

I was sorely tempted to skip time practicing my free motion quilting, but I rallied. I do believe that practice helps to keep the mind, hand, foot connection in synch if you at least do an hour or two of free motion quilting weekly. That way when a major quilt is ready to be quilted the fear factor is greatly diminished and the quilting flows as naturally as piecing a four patch.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

There were two life book assignments this week. I did them both!! 

Lola is my model for Home is Where the Cat is.
This photo could be titled The Cat is Very much at Home. :)

The first was on developing or determining your voice. In 2005 - 2008 my voice was clear. However, in 2008 I learned we would be moving and it took until 2011 to be out of moving/settling mode and back in the studio again. That voice no longer spoke to me. I have been pushing new boundaries. Did I have a voice? I believe I do. It just isn't as obvious as it was in the past. If you are interested, please drop by my website look over the work and then return to the blog and tell me what ties my work together. 

My take on the Artsy Abode lesson inspired
by my cat and wonderful picture of a
contemporary home designed to include many
places for cats to run, perch and hide.
Click on the image for enlarged view.

After determining what I believed was my voice in fiber arts, I couldn't help but look for how this was influencing me in my mixed media voice, especially as the lessons have become less how to draw or what layer to put on top of what layer and are instead giving the student much more input. The piece I made for the topic, Artsy Abode, titled Home is Where the Cat is, does in fact share much in common with my more recent fiber art work.

Life is happening next week in an even bigger way, so I will be taking a week off from making and writing about art. It is good to take a break on occasion. At least that is what I reassure myself with. When I return here these are the projects I will direct myself to.



1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


I am now linking up to two blogs on Fridays. The first is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays and the second is Free Motion Mavericks.

Week in Review 2014 - 09/05

Tempest in a Teapot
is my latest attempt at
designing my own
free motion quilting motif.

Tips, Techniques and Thoughts:

The power went out this morning after I had rinsed the shampoo from my hair, but before I had applied the cream rinse. Our sewer system is such that no water should drain during a power outage. So, I vacated the shower and toweled off. What to do next? There is no simple answer to this question since Fridays are days when I am tied to the computer, writing my blog and processing our finances. 

Detail from the progress made on Night Vision

Life happens. The key is what you make of it. This is a thought I return to regularly in my art. I think of it as the gift of failure. Some of my most creative solutions would never have occurred if I hadn't inadvertently messed up. For example there was the time I was seaming together two very intricately pieced sections of a calla lily quilt. I discovered that there was a glaring thumbnail gap between the seams. I could start over, but I had insufficient fabric and besides I had invested hours and hours piecing these sections. Fortunately, my muse chose this moment to speak up and suggested that I add an appliqué  to cover the gap. I just happened to have a fabric printed with the right size butterflies. I fussy cut a few and scattered them judiciously around the quilt including one over the gap. Not only did the butterflies I hide my gaff, they looked as though they were intended all along, providing movement and resting places for the eye!

Leaf #2 is pieced. It is currently pinned in place
on top of leaf #1. Six leaves make up the background
of Night Vision.

It hasn't been a week of failures, however, my muse continues to guide me. She suggested a new subtle, time saving tweak to my piecing system for Night Vision, ways to add texture, interest and a focus to my intuitive mixed media assignment and even a new combination of free motion quilting motifs to play with. Here are the results of my muse's intervention:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing - Done!

I set a personal goal to piece leaf #2. I am really liking the different values and my choice to combine blue/green fabrics in leaf #1 and yellow/green fabrics in leaf #2.


2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

Detail from my test piece to see how
Tempest in a Teapot would
look stitched out.

I did a fair amount of doodling this week. Ultimately I chose to give this combo of what I think of as echoed S's and spirals a try. The swirls reminded me of a a turbulent section in an otherwise gentle sea. The name Tempest in a Teapot just seems to suit. 

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignment. - Done!

Let Your Light Shine is my first intuitive,
no guidance provided mixed media piece.

This week's assignment was to work completely intuitively. Step 1 was to gather all the materials you might like to work with and choose a color scheme. After that you were on your own. This would have been a really scary prospect when I started taking the classes last January, but with 8 months of guided lessons, I felt a relief to be able to work with the parts of mixed media I enjoy (paints, inks, texture and simple lines) and bypass altogether the nail biter drawings and first layer of collage that is invariably covered up. 

Now the question is what guidance will my muse give me next week. Here are the projects I will be working on where her input would be valued.

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


I am now linking up to two blogs on Fridays. The first is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays and the second is Free Motion Mavericks.