Week in Review 2018 - 01/26

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

The sleeves are attached to 2017's quilts.
Next job is to add the labels.

I've recently begun listening to Driving Miss Norma, by Tim Bauerschmidt and Rami Liddle. It is the memoir of Tim and Rami's RV road trip with his mother, Norma. She is 90, recently widowed, diagnosed with uterine cancer, when she chooses to eschew treatment in favor of seeing places in the US she had only imagined going to. It's a testament to never being too old to say yes or be open to new adventures. 

There was a time in my life when I needed to learn to say no. Now I find myself needing an internal nudge to say yes. It is easy to become complacent and settle for the tried and successful. Why take a chance on something new? Yet isn't that what making art is all about? Constantly challenging oneself and pushing the boundaries?

Love my new designated hand stitching spot.

Saying yes doesn't have to be something big or unsettling. It can be a tiny step. Recently I  moved from my standard hand stitching spot, on the family room sofa, to one of our reclining chairs overlooking the lake. What a treat to watch the eagles vie for the best fishing spot at the frozen lake edge.

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.

Weekly Report 2018 - 01/19

Nothing like the dawn to jumpstart my day.
View from our master bedroom. 

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Yesterday, we went to lunch with fellow retirees from my husband's work. There were six of us, all in our sixties The conversation began with a medical roundup. In other words talking about ailments of either the attendee or someone they were caring for. Although I listened, I could have easily piped in. My optometrist has being watching my cataracts for years. They are slow to change, but have resulted in night driving no longer being safe, especially in the rain. Part of me is fascinated by my change in vision. For example, bright lights such as a full moon in the night sky, headlights, or even traffic signals, are no longer singular objects. Instead I might see a headlight like a totem pole, the actual light brightly lit at the bottom, another two less brightly lit lights stacked above. A full moon, however, looks more like a Venn Diagram, with the actual moon in the center, and three lighter moons forming an equilateral triangle shape, overlapping, but not covering the central moon. The triangle always balances on its point. Part of me is terrified that this change in vision means that time is running out for me to make art. I understand this is more feeling than reality, at least for the moment. I have no doubt cataract surgery is in my future.  

One of the pieces from 2017 I worked on.
It's final title is Forest Floora. 

Today, when I should have been buckling down and writing this post, I couldn't resist reading an article brought to my attention through an eNewsletter I subscribe to. The article by Patricia Corrigan is titled, "Don't Let Eye Problems Keep You From Painting or Drawing". If you, like me, harbor a fear of ending your creative self due to aging eyes, I highly recommend giving it a read. 

Maybe, I will turn my attention to a series I have been contemplating focused on art as seen through my older eyes. This week I focused on finishing up, or least moving forward, many nearly there pieces I started, but put aside in 2017.

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 2018 - 01/05

Lola helps attach the sleeve to
Picking Up the Pieces #4

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

A question commonly asked in the art quilting community is, "if you make art quilts does it matter what your backs look like?" The answer is often no, unless you plan to enter the work into a judged show. Ultimately, I think this is a matter of personal taste. However, I wonder how quilt art appraisers would view this question. Do they look only at the front of the work, the composition, materials, and technical skills? I have had my work appraised by several different appraisers over the years. None have mentioned the back of my work, BUT, although the work isn't judged for matching seams and mitered corners, my skill at executing the work is included. 

Changing of the Guard - front

Changing of the Guard - back

My personal taste is pretty typical of my general "close enough" philosophy. I don't worry about the quilting thread not matching backing, or a tiny knot of thread showing. The fabric I select for my backs is frequently pieced for larger quilts, because I simply don't have fabric large enough for the back and very rarely buy fabric specifically for a back. I used to match my sleeve fabric to my backing fabric. No longer. I want a sleeve that I stands out against the backing. This way it is easy to spot. What is most important is there is no shadow through of backing fabric and or sleeve to the front of the quilt. This happens when the top is a lighter hued fabric than the back. The bigger the value gap, the more likely there is to be a problem.

Picking Up the Pieces #1 - back

Picking Up the Pieces #1 - front

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.