Week in Review 2015 - 07/31

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

I'm nearly finished with Deconstructed Sunrise.
Just 10" remains of the binding to stitch in place. 

Are you SMART when setting goals for yourself? I am most of the time. When I am not, that often leads to a time of frustration, feeling overwhelmed and a need to stop, regroup and refocus. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time (deadline.) An example of a SMART goal I set for myself is to write and post this blog weekly. It is specific - write a blog entry. It is measurable. I know I have obtained my goal when I press publish. It is attainable. I am capable of writing a post weekly, versus something much more difficult, if not impossible for me, such as writing a novel in a month. It is relevant. My passion and avocation is being a fiber artist. Posting my blog weekly is my way of sharing what I do and connecting with others. Finally, it has a fixed deadline. I post each Friday morning. In fact it is the very first business I attend to on Friday mornings.

I started Deconstructed Sunrise #2 this week.
I need something less than 100" square to enter in a
Wisconsin Visual Artists exhibition. I find working
"small" very difficult.

Can SMART goals be applied to making the artwork itself? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. At least that has been my personal experience. When I made work based on quilt blocks I found it easy to set a goal of doing so many blocks per studio day or per week. It is more difficult for me to break my current work into anything but stages. I suppose I could monitor the time it takes me to hand stitch a binding, create a sleeve or FMQ a given area, but I don't. Is it because I don't want to know? I have the sense in all I do when making my art that it takes a long, long time. That I ought to be working faster, producing more and working more efficiently. What is the fun in that? Today, I will give myself permission to be hyper organized and goal driven in some areas of my life and relaxed, messy and goal-less in others.

OK, I am never completely without a goal as you can see by what I accomplished this week:

1) Continue the finishing work on Deconstructed Sunrise - Done!

One advantage of working small, though, is that
it works up very quicklycompared to larger work.
I designed the basic structure on Monday. The next day
I pieced (actually turned under and fused) the fabric.
One more day and I had begun the quilting.

I managed to hand stitch the majority of the binding. I have less than 10" to go. I also have created my split sleeve, so I will stitch that on next.

2) Free motion quilting practice.  - Done!

Actually, I did quilting practice and not FMQ practice as I worked on my newest piece, Deconstructed Sunrise #2. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 58.5/126

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

My goal for next week is to accept that with all that I have scheduled outside the studio, my studio time will be greatly limited. I will work on the following with the time I have:

I am loving the gentle contrast between the photo
of the sunrise and the fabric it sits on. There is just
enough black in the trees to allow the photo to stand out.
It was strategically placed to provide a focus
point for the eye.

1) Continue the finishing work on Deconstructed Sunrise

2) Deconstructed Sunrise #2 (Due August 25, 2015):

•  Finish quilting it.
•  Decide whether additional embellishments would help?
•  Start the finish work.

3) Free motion quilting practice. 

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

5) 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 - 07/24

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Usually I judiciously crop my images so that you can't
see loose threads trailing down or the pins securing
the quilt to the styrofoam wall. Today, I opted
to show Deconstructed Sunrise as it really looked,
when I stopped working yesterday. The binding is
attached, but not turned to the backside.

Sometimes I surprise myself. I've been doing that quite a bit this week in several aspects of my life. Those of you who follow my blog (thank you, thank you!) know that this is the third year that I am participating in the National Bike Challenge. What I love about this is that the vast majority of participants are like me, amateurs eager to find a way to push themselves just a little bit further. The only goal, if it can be called that, is to get out and ride regularly. The way the NBC works is that you get 20 points for each day you ride plus one point for each mile you ride. So if you ride 10 miles your total points for that day are 30. There are five possible virtual badges given out to each rider depending how many points you earn during the five month challenge. The past few years I have reached the first four badges, but never been in the running for the ultimate, final badge. That badge is Diamond, requiring a grand total of 5,000 points. At the rate I've been pedaling I will definitely reach Diamond. This seemed such a lofty, impossible goal when I started. Now I wonder why I sold myself short.

Much of this week's studio time was
spent on FMQ the last couple of
Deconstructed Sunrise panels and
then attaching the panels to each other.

I know I have the reputation of being well organized and a hard worker. Is this deserved? Yes, and no. What you see is what I choose to share. The writing of a weekly blog encourages me to come to some point in the process that "shows" as an accomplishment and photographs well. I surprised myself this week by stopping at good point for me, but less than pretty point for the blog.

I have also been pleasantly surprised by my growing infatuation with Deconstructed Sunrise. This is absolutely a method, palette and concept I feel a need to revisit time and time again.

All these surprises and a few more have resulted in the longest my studio has gone without having my fabric shelved and the remaining detritus stored or trashed. For someone who thrives on clear surfaces and well organized drawers and closets, it is good to know that sometimes, just sometimes I can let go.

Surprise, surprise I even accomplished things this week. Here is how it went:

My studio as it looked Thursday night. Note that the
work table and George's table are becoming covered
with all I "need" and some things no longer needed.
Yes, my studio is huge. I am very fortunate to have the space. 

1) Finish quilting Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015) - Done!

2) Start the finishing work on Deconstructed Sunrise - Done!

3) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

4) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 55.5/126

5) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

What surprises will I have in store for myself next week? They wouldn't be surprises if I knew. No surprise, I do have a plan. Here it is:

1) Continue the finishing work on Deconstructed Sunrise

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 - 07/17

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Adoration is a self portrait of me holding
Andrew, our first grandson.

Today is my grandson Andrew's 8th birthday. He is the first of our five grandchildren. He was followed by two brothers. They make up one family of grandchildren. Next came our two granddaughters. I was thinking how much our children and grandchildren are like my idea of working in a series. Taken individually, each is unique and is treated with great excitement upon arrival. Parenting our children and grandchildren I quickly learned that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the next. I was constantly needing to try new parenting strategies and combining them with what I already know. Then there is the fact that my children are certain they have better parenting skills than I did. Yet I secretly watch what they do and see parallels with my own methods, taking delight that some of the routines or strategies I used are being revised.

Each panel in Deconstructed Sunrise
can be seen as a series. I certainly picked up tips
and became more comfortable as I worked on
each successive one.

Three more panels from Deconstructed Sunrise
have been quilted and joined.

I conjecture, that for me, working in series is just like parenting and grandparenting. I learn from each quilt that I make. Then in subsequent quilts I use what I have learned and build on it. Sometimes the series isn't so obvious. Very few of my quilts look alike or even similar. Yet, I am able to pull together various combinations of my work that demonstrate my progression of my work with this technique, that understanding of color and even a return to trees over and over again. I doubt to the causal observer of my work she would say that I work in a series. If the point of working in a series is to dig deeply into a technique or theme and learn from repetition, then I have been working in multiple series since I first started quilting.

In a way, Deconstructed Sunrise, the quilt I am currently working on, can be seen as a series within a series. It has been fun this week to continue with the quilting, repeating some patterns and working with new ones. Here is how the week played out:

1) Continue quilting 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 - 53/126

This is the back side of the three panels from
Deconstructed Sunrise that I worked on this week.
I'm having so much fun with the quilting.

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done

I'm having so much fun quilting Deconstructed Sunrise that I hate to see that phase come to end. However, if my week goes as planned that is precisely what will happen.

1) Finish quilting Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015)

2) Start the finishing work on Deconstructed Sunrise

3) Free motion quilting practice. 

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

5) 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 - 07/10

Dancing Scissors
10" x 8"

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

A few weeks back I was struggling with reentry into my home routine after multiple trips away. One way I find to ease my way back is to play in the studio versus work on something serious. So, when I received an e-blast from Lyric Kinard with an intriguing method of how to create abstractions, I couldn't resist. I was off and running with scissors. :) As an incentive, not that I needed one, to tackle this assignment, Lyric would select a few of the works created by her followers as demo pieces for a segment she was making with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. What's the worst that can happen? Another rejection. Not this time. Lyric accepted Dancing Scissors. It now appears permanently on her website and should air on The Quilt Show sometime in 2016.

Detail from Deconstructed Sunrise
The free motion quilting on this is so fun!

A second detail from Deconstructed Sunrise.
The combination of free motion quilting and
walking foot style quilting work well here.
I used my quarter inch foot to achieve such even
lines, evenly placed.

Now that Dancing Scissors is behind me, I am able to focus on Deconstructed Sunrise. This piece is growing on me. Usually when I begin a new piece of art I LOVE the idea of it. In the beginning phase I am eager and excited about the work. Then sometime during the process the work takes a turn for the worse. This is a dark place, when it is tempting to just throw the work and move on. Deconstructed Sunrise has felt as though sun hasn't risen for a long time. This week I started to quilt it and attach one segment to other. My confidence is growing. I feel the work pulling together. Phew!

Here is what a managed to accomplish in the studio this week:

1) Start quilting Deconstructed Sunrise - Due November 30, 2015) - Done!

I managed to quilt three of the panels. I had a lot of fun thinking of ways I could quilt the different sections. I was particularly pleased with the FMQ suns I achieved in a couple of sections. I love repeating ideas in my art, through the piecing, color palette and stitching, but with a different take each time.

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 50.5/126

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done! 

Will I still be excited about Deconstructed Sunrise next week or will I be down in the dumps again? No matter my mood, having a plan keeps me moving forward. This is my plan:

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

The top three panels of Deconstructed Sunrise
are joined using the quilt as you go method.
Click on the image for an enlargement.

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 - 07/03

Do click on the image to get an enlarged version.
This is one of the best ways for me to problem solve.
The photo was taken by Dana Eagles, my husband,
during one of our morning bike rides. That is the full
moon in the sky. The tiny pin prick of light just
below the horizon on the left is the taillight on my bike.
We are about 9 miles west of our home in farm country.
This is where see some of the most outrageously
gorgeous morning skies.

Thoughts, Tips and Techniques:

All the segments of Deconstructed Sunrise have been
pieced and fused using French Fuse. The segment in the
upper left corner is pin basted, ready to be
quilted next week.

Is this wasteful procrastination or wise, purposefully pondering? To paraphrase Cheryl Wheeler, a favorite singer song writer, "Don't really care. Don't want to know that." My typical modus operandi when working on a new piece, especially when I am going out on a limb and trying something very different from my standard way of creating, is to do a lot of dithering. I like to rephrase that as running through the possibilities in my head. I will put a piece up on the design wall, step back, go upstairs, come back down stairs (my studio is in the lowest level of our home with the design wall across the room opposite the stairs) stop, stare and have an internal debate with myself. Is this latest addition close enough? Should I try something different? Forge ahead and hope a "fix" will unveil itself to me? Perhaps do a little cleaning and picking up in the studio? Take a break upstairs and try again with fresh eyes? So long as I am making progress, any progress, even if things aren't coming together the way I hoped, I accept that it is good enough. There is always the hope that the next piece I tackle will be better. Just going through the process with the tough pieces provides me with multiple ideas for future pieces that will resolve the problem areas of the current piece. Hope is what drives me from beginning to end to taking the leap of faith to start the next piece. Procrastination? Pondering? Does it really matter? It works.

I spent most of the week pondering both on and off my bike. My husband and I set a new personal best distance bike riding. We rode just shy of 95 miles on Sunday! Yes, I was a tad sore on Monday, but still managed to head down to the studio. Here is what I achieved:

This is my favorite of all the segments. It also is a
great showcase for the four different color ways I pieced
and then cut up for Deconstructed Sunrise. Loving
the smooth, turned under curves I can get using French Fuse.

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

2) Free motion quilting practice. - No, but all set to go next week.

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 48/126

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

What will it be next week? One thing is for sure we have no more 95 mile rides planned in the future. The energy not drained from such a ride  can be focused on the following projects:

1) Start quilting 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.