Week in Review 2015 - 06/26

This is a detail from the original sunrise photo
used in Deconstructed Sunrise. Note the shock of yellow
and the blue of the snow on the lake.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

This week I worked on making yellow "fabric."

You get up when? Why? These are questions I get asked frequently when people learn how early I am up each day. I have a theory, never proven or studied as far as I know, that artists are more likely to either stay up later than non artists or get up earlier. This out of synch time with the rest of the population is our "me" time. It is uninterrupted. Other than emergencies you never get calls at 3:00 a.m. I can write my morning pages in peace, ease into my day by checking my e-mail, sneak in a computer game or two (my personal guilty pleasure) and then join my husband for our daily bike ride which starts before the sun rises even on the longest day of the year. :) Oh, those sunrises! They have been spectacular this past week. If only I could capture pictures of them and stay riding. They definitely inspire me to get back to work on Deconstructed Sunrise. Then move on from there to more sunrise infused quilts.

When I wasn't out pedaling like mad for the National Bike Challenge, I found time to work on the following projects:

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015) - Done

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 46/126


4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done


5) Do some surface design experiments - No time, sigh.

The finishing technique I used for
Dancing Scissors is one I learned from
Carol Ann Waugh, that she uses on
most of her quilts. I love how it came
out. Any time I use this method
I review Carol's video. 

6) Finish Dancing Scissors - Done

I believe I have my rhythm back, at least sufficiently to anticipate next week's studio time with eagerness, versus dread. Here are my plans for next week:

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015)

2) Free motion quilting practice. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

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 2015 - 06/19

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Lyric Kinard deserves the credit for this lesson. It is based
on a method she uses to teach to how to develop an
abstraction from tracing a pair of scissors.

How do the touring quilt teachers, lecturers and authors do it? This is a question I've pondered on and off for years. I was privileged to belong to the Rhododendron Needlers Quilt Guild for twenty-five years. RNQG had the coffers to hire at least four such teachers each year. Most lectures included a peak into the world of the quilter and how they did or did not balance their time, often presented as humorous stories. Yes, I laughed. I also realized that I wasn't willing to make some of the same sacrifices. I feel very fortunate that my passion for creating art quilts never deprived my family of time or money. Nor was it ever necessary for me to earn my living making art. When our children were growing up I quilted while they were napping and later while they were in school. I held on to the hope that when I became an empty nester I could spend 100% of my time working on my art. How naive was that? Before my youngest graduated from high school I was enmeshed in elder care.  That segment of my life ended thirteen years later with the death of my aunt, last month. She was many things, including an artist. Will I spend 100% of my time on my art now? Probably not. Age is catching up with me. I am weary. I find the transition to get back into art after a week or two away more and more difficult.  How do those traveling quilters do it?

I make my work oversized (14" H x 11" W)
so that I can easily quilt beyond the edges
of the quilt and then trim to size.

I haven't given up entirely. As you can see from the images in this post I worked on a "just for fun" project, but did zero on my one project with a deadline. Here is what I was able to manage:

1) Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015) - I needed to take a break from anything beyond playing in the studio, so treated myself to a mini lesson/project instead. This is also part of the way I ease myself back into the studio. It makes the studio feel less daunting.

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Got some FMQ in on my just for fun project.

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 44/126 

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done

I created a frame so that I could test different
potential croppings of 10" x 8" and also to see
whether I preferred a landscape or scroll orientation.

5) Do some surface design experiments - Opted to skip this

Fortunately, I have nearly two months at home before my next planned trip. I'm confident that I can regain my rhythm soon. When I do here is what I will be focusing on:

I opted for a very simple echo quilting. I can tell I
haven't been practicing my FMQ. Close enough,
especially since this is a just for fun piece.

1) Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015)

2) Free motion quilting practice. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

5) Do some surface design experiments

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 - 06/05

I've always loved this palette of harmonious reds,
oranges and yellows coupled with purple.  It is the
color of sunrise. It is warm and cheerful. This is one
of the "fabrics" I made for Deconstructed Sunrise. I am
very tempted to explore this offshoot further. I feel a
series coming on. :)

I have begun work on the blue fabric for
Deconstructed Sunrise. When this block is
finished there will be six stripes woven together
in a block that measures 9" square.  The central
horizontal stripe is from one of the SkyDyes fabrics I
treated myself to. Isn't it lush?

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Bonjour! I'm back from a mini visit with  our children and grandchildren, followed immediately by a maxi visit in France. We began in Paris doing lots of walking and museum visiting. Then it was off to the Loire Valley for biking and chateaux touring. I admit to having reached a time in my life where roughing it has zero appeal. This bike trip, like several other biking and hiking trips we have been on, came with lots of support and lovely accommodations. It isn't easy to take responsibility for my daily activities now that I am back. My in-box is frightening full and the "pings" keep coming no matter how many e-mails I respond to. Really, how is it possible to start with 50 e-mails, answer at least 25 only to end the day back at 50? Something else that has struck me on my return is my biker's tan. It is darkest above my knees to my bike short's line, where it abruptly turns white. The tan is lighter over my knee cap and below my knee, turning white at the sock line. My tan just isn't coming together. There doesn't seem to be an overall plan. That is how I am feeling about Deconstructed Sunrise at the moment. It feels very disjointed and jarring.

I refused to spend 100% of my time answering e-mails on my scheduled studio days. I did, however, compromise and work in the studio during the morning and return to e-mails in the afternoon. Here is what I accomplished in the studio during my half schedule:

1) Deconstructed Sunrise (Due November 30, 2015) - Continue piecing - Done

 2) Free motion quilting practice. - Opted to skip this

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 40/126

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done

This a only a small portion of what I have pieced so
far on Deconstructed Sunrise. What is working nicely
is the combo of turned under appliqué and French Fuse.
I know I will use this technique again. It is a winner!

5) Do some surface design experiments - Opted to skip this

I will be unable to post next week due to some out of state family business. When I return I plan on working on the following:

1) Deconstructed Sunrise (Due November 30, 2015) - Continue piecing

 2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness

5) Do some surface design experiments

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.