Wek in Review 2015 - 08/21

Deconstructed Sunrise - 2
8" H x 10" W
The black surround is NOT a border. I have mounted
the quilt on black fabric. This fabric will be turned
under an 8" x 10" canvas and then secured in place
with upholstery tacks. 

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

I returned from a family vacation this week, coping with the usual re-entry issues. However, this time it only took a couple of days, versus a week or two to get into the swing of things. Perhaps that is because I got caught up in the busy-ness that is a natural consequence of chairing SAQA's Exhibition Committee. Fortunately it is a committee, so that getting the working done is shared by the members  and does not all fall squarely on my shoulders. I am so appreciative of the help that I receive, that I make it a point to say thank you to individuals and to the committee as a whole on a fairly regular basis. It occurred to me as we "swapped" thank you notes this week, how differently I feel about sending and receiving thanks now from when I was a child. It was the practice in our home that the day after Christmas was time to start writing thank you notes. Pure torture as a child. How should I thank Great Aunt Ernie for a hand knit sweater that itched and didn't suit my 8 year old fashion sense? By the time I came into Ernie's life and she into mine, she seemed ancient and frankly rather creepy and repellant to a young child. Now I see the love and generosity of this annual gift. True, I was a most ungracious child when it came to writing thank you notes, but I did develop the motivation to continue the practice. There are so many things in life that we prefer not to do, but do begrudgingly and then eventually wonder what the big deal was all about. I've been thinking much of making art can feel like that. For example, I would gladly skip over the design phase and get right down to working. Time has taught me that I do best with a blueprint. Funny thing, once I buckle down, it really isn't so bad.

The orange "eyeballs" are the Zoodle
design. Boy, can I tell I haven't been
FMQ for three weeks. It will be good to
get back to FMQ on regular basis.

This week has been about buckling down. Here is how it went:

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

All that is left to do now is to create and attach the label, then add piece to my website. This just might be the earliest I have a completed a deadline piece. The call I plan on entering this piece in has a November 30, 2015 deadline.

2) Deconstructed Sunrise #2 (Due September 8, 2015): - Done!

•  Finish quilting it. - Done!
•  Decide whether additional embellishments would help? - Done! Opted not to add them.
•  Start the finish work. - Done! 

3) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

I've been playing with some ideas
for my next Deconstructed Sunrise
quilt. This one will be 60" H x 40" W.
It is prudent to have some idea of the
general layout before I begin.
This is my first design attempt.

I've long been a fan of Leah Day's flowing lines free motion quilting motifs for some time now. Right up there with that family of patterns are spirals. So, when Leah came up with Zoodles, a design that incorporates flowing lines and spirals, I naturally had to give it a try.

4) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 62.5/126

5) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

Now that I am back to my work week routine with not a single conference call/meeting scheduled for next week, I have high hopes for three solid studio days next week. Here is how I plan on using them:

This is my fourth design attempt
for the next Deconstructed Sunrise.
The mock ups are 15" H x 10" W

1) Finish Deconstructed Sunrise

2) Deconstructed Sunrise #2 (Due September 8, 2015):

•  Affix the quilt to the canvas
• Add it my website and FaceBook page
• Ship it to the gallery

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.