Week in Review 2014 - 12/12

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Poinsettia tutorial is available on Lori Kennedy's
Inbox Jaunt.

If you live in the northern hemisphere my thoughts this week will be timely. If you are in the southern hemisphere, perhaps you can bookmark them for six months hence. In the past I would be currently kicking, pulling and dragging myself through this time of year when there is more dark than light. Now toss in the fact that most days in Wisconsin are overcast so that the sky reads the color of a mourning dove. Finally add in the hype and hyperactivity of the holidays and it is easy to succumb to depression. This year is different. My husband discovered the SlimStyle 65W LED lightbulb. He likes it for its energy efficiency. I love how it floods my studio with brilliant daylight. The initial expense feels on the extravagant side, but between the energy savings and emotional boost this is one luxury I can highly recommend investing in. 

My first mixed media piece made
during the year long course of LifeBook 2014.

Here is where I placed my energy this week:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 31, 2015)

The final mixed media piece made as
part of LifeBook 2014

a) Finish blind stitching the frog in place - nearly finished.
b) Square up the quilt - Not yet.
c) Start the facing process - Not yet.

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done 

I debated about whether to take the time to practice my free motion quilting this week. Just as it can be tempting to roll over and go back to sleep versus getting up and exercising, practicing free motion quilting takes discipline. I gave myself a stern talking to and sat down at the machine. I'm so glad I did. Lori Kennedy's Poinsettia motif was just what I needed to put me in the holiday spirit.

Sunrise over Little Lake Butte des Morts
The photo was taken by husband from our balcony. 

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!!

It is time to celebrate. I committed to completing all the weekly assignments in LifeBook 2014 and this week I turned in my final one. It was worth the dedication. I've learned quite a bit about composition, highlights, creating a sense of 3D in 2D work and how to use all kinds of tools and supplies. The growth is apparent when you compare Week 1's piece with Week 50's. 

4) Design the piece to follow Night Vision. - Done!

Sunrise over Little Lake Butte des Morts - deconstructed

The sunrise photo, coupled with my experimentation and play last week have led to my next design to tackle. I have several opportunities that require small exhibition pieces and one must be an abstract. Between the  solo exhibition in Oshkosh and a few other venues all my exhibition worthy work is spoken for. I needed something that would work up quickly. Sunrise over Little Lake Butte des Morts is still in its infancy. A portion of the original photo printed on fabric will be incorporated into the pieced background. Naturally, I will need to do some quilting and finish work. I am optimistic that this piece will be done before 2014 comes to an end.

Family commitments mean that I won't be working in my studio next week. However, the following week I will turn on the lights in the studio and go town. When I do, here is where I plan on focusing my attention:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 31, 2015)

a) Finish blind stitching the frog in place
b) Square up the quilt
c) Start the facing process

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Bind my best mixed media work

4) Sunrise over Little Lake Butte des Morts (due December 31, 2014)

a) Finish the piecing
b) Quilt it
c) Do the finish work
d) Submit it for consideration


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 2014 - 12/05

It's been a while since I've played with my black and
white fabric stash. This pieces was created
using reverse appliqué.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Every Tuesday and Thursday I take a yoga class. The teacher doesn't follow a particular branch of yoga. Instead the focus is on gently easing our way into the class. We begin with breathing exercises. The style of breathing varies, but we always breath. It is an excellent way to leave the world behind and focus on the present. After we are centered it is time to stretch and strengthen our muscles. The class, like most yoga classes ends with Shavasana. When I first started practicing yoga Shavasana was uncomfortable because I couldn't attain peace. My mind would race. I just wanted it to end. Now it is not unusual for me to be startled when our instructor starts the instructions to bring us out of this deep state of relaxation. Much as I have grown to love Shavasana in class, I still struggle with taking time to just be in my daily life. I realized recently after the fast pace of the last few months to meet deadline after deadline after deadline that I needed to let go, to ignore the opportunities and deadlines, to just be. That is why yesterday, I played with some ideas that have been distracting me. I have no idea if they will go from experiment to artwork. I just knew instinctively that I needed to make something, anything without an end goal insight. 

This is my first attempt at screen printing
with a Thermofax screen. I don't know
why it has taken me so long to give it
a try. 

Before my play date began, I did make progress with my projects. Here is what I managed to accomplish:

 1) Night Vision - (Due January 31, 2015)

a) Finish the quilting - Done!

Visions of sliver quilts have been obsessively
floating through my mind. I just couldn't
resist combining turquoise and orange together.

b) Blind stitch the frog in place - Done - sort of.

I am not happy with this. There are a few sections I need to unstitch and restitch.

c) Square up the quilt - not yet.

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done by completing the quilting on Night Vision.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

Here are the images behind the each window. 

This is the same piece, but with the windows closed.

We made work influenced by Advent calendars. Behind each door is an image that represents a blessing in my life. The image on the front of the piece is, Reflection. I learned earlier this week that it had received an honorable mention in the open art exhibit hosted by the on-line gallery, Light, Space and Time. Another blessing that has come from my art is my first solo exhibition. If you live near Oshkosh, WI I hope you will drop by. There is an artist reception on Saturday, December 6 from 4 - 6 p.m. I will give a very brief lecture about my work at the reception.

4) Design the piece to follow Night Vision. - Not yet

However, my experiments are the first step in designing my next piece. Sometimes you just have to try a variety of ideas in order to learn what resonates the most.

Perhaps I will have discovered where to focus my attention next. If I do you will hear about it in next week's blog. If I am still wandering - well, I will just write about that. No matter what I decide or don't decide I have the structure of my current projects and commitments to keep me moving.

1) Night Vision - (Due January 31, 2015)

a) Finish blind stitching the frog in place
b) Square up the quilt
c) Start the facing process

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. 

4) Design the piece to follow Night Vision.


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 2014 - 11/28

Closeup of the quilting in Bargello Blessings, the
quilt I made for my sister.

Closeup of the quilting in Bargello Blessings, the
quilt I made for my sister.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the States. Since moving to Wisconsin, 1,200 miles from the majority of our family, we have traditionally celebrated the feast with another couple in a similar position. I miss those Thanksgivings we used to host with 12 to 20 family members around the table. Now that there are only four of us, we trim way back on the side dishes. Somehow I still managed to achieve turkey stupor and I didn't even go back for seconds. Another tradition on Thanksgiving are the phone calls from  family members. My brother who moved to Oxford, England, like other expats, treated himself to a few slices of turkey and peas. He had two pressing questions. First, he just wanted to hear about what we were serving so he could be transported back to the feasts of our youth. Second, he wanted to know if I had finished my sister's quilt in time to send it to her before her first chemotherapy treatment. There was an addendum to that second question. Would I be sharing a picture of the quilt in this posting. The answer is yes.

I spent fewer hours in the studio this week due to the holidays. Despite the shortened hours here is what I managed to accomplish:

Closeup of the quilting in Bargello Blessings, the
quilt I made for my sister. I chose a pale pink and
lavender variegated thread for the the quilting. Sometimes
it blends with the top, sometimes it doesn't. I rather enjoy
the peek-a-boo nature that this gives.

1) Night Vision - (Due January 31, 2015)

a) Finish the quilting - I moved the quilting much closer to the finish line. The more I do the more the veins of the leaves stand out. It is becoming a very textured piece with a dimensional feel. Yeah!


b) Blind stitch the frog in place - not yet
c) Square up the quilt - not yet

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Between my sister's quilt and Night Vision I got sufficient free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

It amazes me that after 48 weeks of LifeBook lessons there can be any more mixed media techniques to learn, but there are. The background to this piece was done by using petroleum jelly as a resist. Wherever the petroleum jelly was applied and then painted, the paint could be rubbed off. When this done with five layers of paint a wonderful antiqued, weathered look is achieved.

4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24) - Done!

I finished in time to ship the quilt on November 22nd. My sister was delighted, especially with the purple palette, her favorite color scheme.

a) Finish binding the quilt - Done!
b) Add the label - Done!
c) Ship the quilt - Done!

One of the reasons I am have been so determined to keep the momentum going on Night Vision is that I know the reality of the holiday season means less studio time. With any day I can steal for studio time next week I plan on doing the following:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 31, 2015)

a) Finish the quilting
b) Blind stitch the frog in place
c) Square up the quilt

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. 

4) Design the piece to follow Night Vision.


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 2014 - 11/21

Isn't this a lush palette? I love the energy of it. The
artist is my 3 1/2 year old grandson, Ben. 

Tips, Thoughts, and Techniques:

Move over Tortoise, the Hare is up from her nap and raring to go. Normally, I see myself as the tortoise from Aesop's Fables. I am a steady plodder who ultimately reaches her destination. This pace allows me to take in the scenery. I thrive under this way of being. Every once and a while I need to prod myself  into a faster pace. This has been one of those weeks as I determinedly make my way to the finish line. I am not there yet but if I can maintain my pace for just one more day I should be.

The back side of my sister's quilt. It is
a commercial, lush flannel that looks
hand dyed. If you click on the image
you should be able to tell that 100% of
the quilting is done.

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015) - Chose to ignore in order to achieve a more pressing goal.

a) Finish the quilting
b) Blind stitch the frog in place
c) Square up the quilt

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

The idea was to create a front and back
page. I opted to make two separate pages.

This week I tried out a series of free motion quilting motifs involving hearts for my sister's quilt. I normally quilt intensely with the biggest gaps between stitch lines being approximately 1/4". However, intense stitching is not appropriate for a comfort quilt since the quilt will loose its softness and pliability. I pushed myself to achieve a midscale with gaps ranging from 1/4" to close 1 1/2" depending on where elements of the motif fell.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

I think I am finally getting the hanging
of adding text to my mixed media pages.

With so few assignments left in my LifeBook journey I have decided not to invest in any more mixed media supplies just so I can do an assignment. This means I am having to improvise. This has proven to be a good thing for me. The more I stray from the supplies used by the teacher, the more naturally I stumble upon solutions that emphasize my voice versus hers. Doesn't the ballet dancer have quilt potential? I love the layers and dimension of this piece. 



4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24) 

This is where 90% of my focus went this week. I don't believe I have ever pulled together a quilt so quickly. I spent many hours auditioning quilting motifs and ultimately settled for a hearts and spirals pattern. I wanted to convey my love for my sister and give her solid hugs of compassion. She begins her chemo on December 1st. I'll share the front of the quilt after my sister receives it. I don't want to ruin her surprise.

a) Start the quilting - Done! It took me two days to do 100% of the quilting. 
b) Square up the quilt - Done!
c) Bind the quilt - Half done.
d) Add the label - Not yet.

A close up of the spirals and hearts motif I chose to
quilt my sister's chemo quilt with.

Next week I hope to be back to Tortoise mode, since if all goes as planned my sister's quilt will have shipped. I do have many more exciting quilting journey's coming up, including my first solo exhibition that kicks off with an artist reception on December 6. I'll post more on that soon. I have other projects to focus on, too. Here is the plan for next week:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Finish the quilting
b) Blind stitch the frog in place
c) Square up the quilt

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. 

4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24)

a) Finish binding the quilt
b) Add the label
c) Ship the quilt


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 2014 - 11/14

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

The second LifeBook 2014 lesson I completed this week.
It works like an Advent calendar. The feathers
lift up to reveal positive messages below. What looks like
doilies is actually my newest stencil.

I have been practicing free motion quilting designs that
might work for my sister's quilt. I stumbled upon
this on a YouTube video that appeared on the sidebar while
I was looking at something else. It is going to require
a lot more practice for me to achieve the "backwards"
feathers and transitions from one heart to the next.

Like many artists who work with fabric I started my journey as someone who enjoyed handwork for relaxation. I had done needlepoint, crewel, knitting, crocheting and sewn some clothes for myself and my daughter. I tried quilting in 1974 when the only book I found was on English paper piecing. I bought Laura Ashley remnants to make the quilt with. I worked on that "quilt" on and off for a couple of years and don't think it ever grew to even a 12" square. There is a reason you don't paper piece thin wale corduroy. :) I gave up on that quilt, but not on the idea of making a quilt some day. 

Then Eleanor Burns came on the scene with her Quilt in A Day series. I took an evening class at the local high school. It was an 8 week course to make a quilt in a day. Thank goodness that quilt was auctioned off for charity. Ugly is too kind of a word. What that class and that quilt did give me was the courage to make another and then another. At first I followed patterns, considering myself quite adventurous when I changed the colors. Then I started modifying patterns. Now  all my work is my original design. What I called myself has changed with time, too. I have been a quilter, quilt artist, textile artist, fiber artist and now, although I still gulp when I say it, I call myself an artist. 

I was getting so frustrated doodling and redoodling the
feathered heart motif that I played with a simpler pivoting
heart motif that is echoed.

This week I have started to call myself, Gwyned Trefethen, Private Eye. Clearly I listen to far too many mysteries while I work. Why the new title? I lost some ground this week when my thread started breaking while I was free motion quilting. It takes perseverance to follow each lead in order to resolve the dreaded thread breaking problem. I tried all the usual tricks without an improvement. Then I added a bead of Sewer's Aid to the spool. I've done this before for metallic thread, but I was using my favorite Superior King Tut cotton thread. I'd never needed Sewer's Aid for that before. Sewer's Aid is a liquid silicone that allows the thread to glide smoothly through the eye of the needle, but also through all those other eyes and the tension discs. I could tell the hang up was in my tension discs, but loosening the tension didn't help and I feared if I loosened it too much the tension needed for even stitching would be thrown off. It was the combination of dogged checking the usual suspects and the eureka moment when the problem was diagnosed and resolved that allowed me to close yet another case of (said in a deep resonant voice) the dread thread break.

Another section of Night Vision is quilted!

I didn't spend all my week as a Private Eye. You can see by what got accomplished that I was mostly in artist mode.

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

I continued to free motion quilt the leaves of Night Vision. I have about 1/3 of the quilt to go. I am setting myself a goal of finishing one bobbin's worth of free motion quilting every studio day. Since I use Bottom Line thread those bobbins last for hours.

a) Finish the quilting 

It takes courage to make the most
of a bad situation. 

b) Blind stitch the frog in place
c) Square up the quilt

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done

I completed the assignment from the week before and this week's as well. Yeah! I am caught up again. I am rather fond of the self portrait. It doesn't look much like me. However, I made another leap forward with capturing light and shadow. Even more impressive I very creatively got myself out of a jam when the left eye was ruined when my pen gushed just as I was adding the pupil. My solution was a very creative, contemporary, runway worthy hairdo. :)

4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24)

a) Finish piecing the cut strata. - Done!
b) Sandwich the quilt - Done!
c) Start the quilting - Not yet.

A teaser from my sister's quilt. This is the one that will
be quilted with a heart motif.


Which persona will dominate next week? Personally I am rooting for the artist, since there are many things I am eager to tackle. 

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Finish the quilting
b) Blind stitch the frog in place
c) Square up the quilt

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. 



4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24)

a) Start the quilting
b) Square up the quilt
c) Bind the quilt
d) Add the label


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 2014 - 10/31

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

The poison dart frog after it had been painted with pink.

What a difference a little white paint can make!
I resisted the temptation to give it a french manicure. :)

BOO!! Today is Halloween in the US. It is time for children to dress up as witches, ghosts, zombies and other characters of their imagination, head out when the sun goes down and go door to door asking "Trick or treat?" I still recall how terrifying it was at young age to head out into my neighborhood with my friends on Halloween. It was a very safe neighborhood, but walking through it in the dark amongst zombies and witches was just plain spooky. What is it about "safe" fear that we crave? Is this why I create art? 
In order to create Night Vision I have had to face and overcome my fear on numerous occasions. I know how to work with cotton fabric, but working with vinyl is another story. Then there is committing to a free motion quilting pattern. I test ideas off quilt, but eventually if I am to make progress I must paint that frog, secure it in one place and start the quilting. Will the result be a trick or a treat?

The poison dart frog takes center stage
on his tropical leaf dominion.
If you click on the image you can see
an enlarged image that should allow you to
see the quilting above and to the right
of the frog.

This week has been a mixture of both tricks and treats. Most things have gone as planned and resulted in delightful treats. I conquered my fear and started quilting Night Vision. Stepping up to my machine and pressing the pedal sure felt like a strong potential for a trick.

My take on Lori Kennedy's Squared Flowers 

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Finish painting the poison dart frog - Done!
b) Appliqué the frog to the quilt top - Done! Actually I fused it using Heat 'n Bond.
c) Prepare the quilt sandwich - Done!
d) Start quilting - Done!

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

It was very tempting to skip this and count the free motion quilting on Night Vision as my practice. I didn't. The reason is simple. I find free motion quilting practice so liberating and joyful. The quilting on Night Vision hasn't reached that level of comfort. Free motion quilting is my excuse to just let go and breath. 

There were several challenges involved in this lesson.
First, was to work small. My whimsical wizard is just shy of
5" h x 4" w. The second was to create a face that read
male vs. female.

I modified Lori Kennedy's design, Squared Flowers. My quilts rarely have square spaces for quilting, so when I practice free motion quilting I like to practice it in an irregular, curvilinear shape.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Started

This week's LifeBook lesson was by Steven Speight. Do check out his site. He has a bold, detailed style that he uses to create characters that would be perfect for an adult Halloween party. His lesson was just as involved and creative. I devoted a full day plus and only finished 1/3 of the class. I would have kept going and I will definitely return to it on Monday, my mixed media day, but I had to be true to my priorities with hard deadlines.

4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24) - Started

Step one - seam the 40 strips into two duplicate 20 strip pieces.

The first half sister I met about 14 years ago, my birthfather's daughter, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She begins chemotherapy on December 1. Shhh! She doesn't know it, but I plan to surprise her with a throw quilt in her favorite color, purple with a stripe of colon cancer blue. I have started piecing together the strata.

I can't wait for next week. I am eager to get to work on every project I have in the line-up that follows:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue quilting
b) Blind stitch the frog in place

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. 

4) Surprise for my sister (Due November 24)

a) Finish piecing the 40 strata strips.
b) Cut the strata
c) Start piecing the the cut strata.


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 2014 - 10/24

Blue print for poison dart frog appliqué
and masking pieces.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

The hurdle I had to leap over this week was how to cut out and paint the poison dart frog that I will be appliquéing to the background of tropical leaves in Night Vision. Painting free hand terrifies me. I had tried to mark the black vinyl with a thin white chalk marking pencil and it left no discernible mark. So, I opted to mask (cover up) those sections I wanted to leave au naturel and apply the paint to the unmasked areas. I didn't take pictures of the process, but I will outline my method for you.

1) Using a pencil create a line drawing of the frog on tracing paper
2) Outline the interior splotches of color
3) Once satisfied with the drawing use a black permanent marker to go over the frog's outline and a different color permanent marker to go over the blotches. 

The poison dart frog is painted.

4) Using a copier enlarge the drawing in reverse to the scale that you want your drawing.
5) Trace the enlarged drawing onto freezer paper with the shiny side down.
6) Iron the freezer paper to the backside of the frog fabric. I used a pressing cloth since I was working with vinyl that was backed with felt.
7) Cut out the frog following the outline on the freezer paper
8) Remove the freezer paper. 

Current favorite position for the poison
dart frog perching on a leaf.

9) Cut apart the sections to be masked from the sections to be revealed. Hint. I did this one section at a time so I could remember how to reassemble them.
9) Using a Zig 2 Way Glue pen  apply glue to the paper side of the masking segments. Wait for the glue to dry clear. This allows the segment to be moved or removed just like a Post It note.
10) Stick the masking segments to the right side of the frog fabric with the paper and glue side down.
11. Paint the unmasked areas with So Soft Opaque Fabric Paint. I used five layers of paint to get the depth of color I wanted. I let the paint dry between applications. So Soft does NOT have to be heat set to be permanent. 

Pumpkin Patch is my own design.

It has been a very busy week from strategizing how to paint the poison dart frog to preparing for a solo exhibition in December and a group exhibition in January. I did stay true to my commitment of creating art three days a week. Here is how the art portion of the week went:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Prepare the quilt sandwich - the backing and batting are cut
b) Continue testing paints - Done!
d) Paint the poison dart frog - Started.

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

I was inspired to try my hand at designing a free motion quilting motif using pumpkins. The trick is to get from one pumpkin to the next. I solved that with loops and leaves. 

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

Many of the LifeBook assignments focus on acknowledging the negative in life and then obscuring it with the positive of art. This lesson by Christy Tomlinson, who suffers from fibromyalgia, was no exception. I modified it a bit to suit my own aesthetic.  

I'm not completely satisfied with the poison dart frog yet. I want to add some white lines and dots just to help the frog pop a bit more off the leaves. Next week will have me focusing on pondering. Does the white work? Is the frog positioned correctly? It will be a different busy. Of course I will continue to work on keeping up with my free motion quilting skills and learning mixed media. 

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Finish painting the poison dart frog
b) Appliqué the frog to the quilt top
c) Prepare the quilt sandwich
d) Start quilting

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. 


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 2014 - 10/02

There are many wonderful sites on line for how
to draw a face. I turned to one of them for the
first step in this week's LifeBook 2014 lesson
by Kate Thompson. 

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

One of the comments that I receive almost weekly on my blog is that the person posting wishes she could be as organized as me. Yes, I do see  myself as organized, but certainly not as the paragon of organization. Truth be told I don't have much of a choice. I am innately organized. I have learned to accept this and go with it. I do have a few tips:

1. Take advantage of your computer's calendar system. I use iCal because I have a MAC, but really any calendar system will do. I schedule my art days as a recurring event. Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are blocked out from 7:30 - 4:30 for doing art. I do the business of art on Wednesday and handle personal finance and domestic duties on Friday. I rarely, rarely, really rarely vary from this schedule. I also create an entry nearly everything I do and intend to do on the reminders list. This includes a note for everyone's birthdays and anniversaries so that I can get cards and messages sent. I also make a note of when I must send out a quilt to a venue or pay my quarterly taxes. I have over 150 items on my reminders list. It could be daunting. However, knowing that I will be reminded I don't think about most of them until they land in "today's" list. Even then I only focus on doing them in priority order. Guess what today's #1 item is? That's correct, writing my blog.

Night Vision as of October 3, 2014

2. Be flexible, but don't go for easy, quick gratification. If you aren't familiar with the Marshmallow Experiment, do check out the six minute TED talk about it. The gist is that whether a four year old child gives in and eats a marshmallow now versus waiting 15 minutes to get two marshmallows is a great predictor for that child's future success. I use delayed gratification frequently for accomplishing what I want to accomplish versus just doing what I feel like doing at the moment. I will be rewarding myself after I post the blog. :)

Last week I anticipated that this week time would be limited. Instead I was delightfully surprised to have almost no emergency interruptions during my scheduled art time. It felt wonderful to wallow in art. Here is what my wallowing accomplished:

Abstracted Leaf with echoes.

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing - Done! 

I always think I can do more than I can.  Nevertheless, I am pleased to have gotten as far as I have. I still need to add the veins for the final leaf. After that comes creating the poison dart frog. If anyone has tips for sewing with vinyl, especially sewing vinyl to lesser weight fabrics I could use them.

2) Free motion quilting practice.  - Done!

No surprise with the leaves turning color in the midwest and other areas of the US, I just couldn't resist playing with a leaf design. 

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

My take on LifeBook lesson #40 by
Kate Thompson.

This week's LifeBook lesson by Kate Thompson was a killer assignment. There is no way I could have done it as my first assignment of the year. It really helped to have worked with all the materials before. Kate did a fabulous job of demonstrating how to layer paints and inks to achieve skin tone, highlights and shadows. As a result my lady actually looks like a painterly portrait. 


Night Vision is at that point when if I could I would be working on it 24/7. I just can't wait to see whether I can pull off the poison dart frog and if so, how it will look against all those lush tropical leaves. However, I know that to be truly successful, like one third of the children in the marshmallow experiment, I must be patient. I do my best work when I pace myself, including taking time for reflection, experimentation and other diversions. Here are the plans for next week:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


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 2014 - 09/26

Two more leaves and a frog left to go
on Night Vision.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Have you ever noticed how the direction your art takes you reflects your non art life? I have. Even knowing that this happened time and time again I am startled when I "see" the connection when none was intended. My children are both in their 30's now. When they were teenage poster children of adolescent rebellion my work was abstract, but meticulously controlled. The titles were downright scary, reflecting my state of mind, such as Balancing Act, Hope Springs Eternal, Insomnia and Breaking Through Depression. When I gathered the images reflecting the last week's work I couldn't help but notice how much I am using green. Green is my go to color when I crave a long compassionate soothing hug. This summer has been particularly difficult for the seniors in my life. We lost my father-in-law, nearly lost my mother-in-law a few weeks later, lost her brother, one of my  sisters was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer two weeks ago and yesterday I signed the papers for the aunt whom I have been caring for for over 10 years to be enrolled in hospice. Just reading that sentence has me gasping for breath. However, studying the gentle curves of Night Vision and feeling the calming influence of the green, I can relax. How very fortunate I am to be able to self sooth through my art.

Bumble Bees in Flight
A free motion quilting design adapted
from Lori Kennedy's design

All three projects I worked on this week feature green. Here they are:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing - Done

Often at this stage of a quilt I am beating myself up over the fact that I don't feel the work is coming together. So far, so good. I am pleased.

LifeBook 2014 Lesson 39
Covering up old work to make it new

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

Do check out Lori Kennedy's blog The Inbox Jaunt for a wonderful ongoing collection of free motion quilting designs. I'm fan. Can you tell?

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

This week's lesson was about salvaging old work intuitively, with the flair and confidence of a preschooler wielding the paint brush. It's done. I've done better. It is times like this when I need to remember that failure and/or disappointment in one's work is part of the process.


I expect my time to create art next week will be limited. Any time I do have will focus on:

1) Night Vision - (Due January 1, 2015)

a) Continue the piecing

2) Free motion quilting practice.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


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.