Week in Review 2015 - 09/04

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Color scheme A
Note that the suns are all colored
the same way.

Color Scheme B
Played with value in both the sky
and the suns.

The word for the day is perseverance. This is a topic I return to again and again. That in itself is perseverance. I find pushing forward against obstacles is a common theme in several aspects of my life. It was most obvious this morning as my husband and I battled our bodies in order to set a new personal best of 31.9 miles biked before 6 a.m. without and this is key, without stopping to refuel or rehydrate. Four months into the National Bike Challenge and this type of feat is possible. Not so at the beginning of the challenge. Tomorrow we will make Diamond status (5,000 points since May 1st.) To put that into perspective there are approximately 4,000 registered participants in our local challenge and less than 40 have made Diamond to date. In order to achieve this the axiom of mind over matter is true. It is also true when it comes to pushing through a design concept and creating the next artwork. 

Color Scheme C
Kept the value changes for the suns
but simplified the night sky.

Color Scheme D
Same suns, but added the
sunrise streaks to the night sky.

This week I pushed through a series of design trials for Deconstructed Sunrise #3. Once I had tweaked and fiddled with the design to a point where I thought I knew how to proceed I started the piecing process. This resulted in a few more tweaks. And so it goes. Despite the biking and design obsession I was still able to do a few more projects as well. Here is how the week went:

1) Finish Deconstructed Sunrise - Done!

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

• Add it my website and FaceBook page - Done!
• Ship it to the gallery - Done!

3) Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015)

Piecing of Deconstructed Sunrise #3 begins
with the night sky. 

• Add registration marks to the freezer paper templates - Done!
• Decide whether to create new fabrics with dye, paint and ink - Done! Opted to stick with my commercial fabrics and all ready made hand dyed and hand painted fabrics.
• Either create the fabrics OR start the piecing process - Started piecing

Dandelion Fluff is a FMQ motif by
Tracy of Whirls 'n Swirls.
She demoed to styles with the curving in and out.
I tried them both.

4) Free motion quilting practice. 

Add fun trying out another one of Tracy's FMQ motifs.

5) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 68.5/126

6) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

I am looking forward to next week. It is time to taper down the biking and ratchet up the piecing. My list of projects to work on, as you can see, is getting shorter.

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (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.