Cutting it close...-Day 29

I am quickly running out of time. I am working hard to get my affairs in order to take a vacation as well as trying to meet some deadlines for quilts that need completion.

I spent some time quilting today and am almost done with a large project. I just need to make and attach the binding by Thurs.

I'm so in love with this fabric I almost hated to cut it up but it's going to become a sweet border for this colorful quilt I'm finishing.

Bright Stripes 
Remix by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman

Fingers crossed I make it!

Fabric Junkie - Day 22

Okay, you got me. I'm addicted to buying fabric. I try to only buy fabric when I am working on a project or making a gift for someone. There are other times that I buy fabric just because I can't help it. The sale was too good to pass up or the design was so just lovely I had to have it. I try rationalize the purchase afterwards by saying I will use it to make something. I think I just need to own up to the fact that I just wanted it.

Here are some recent additions to my stash:

What will the become? Who knows!
(I'll keep you posted along the way.)

Tuesday's Blahs - Day 15

Today was so blah. The sky was gray all day but it never rained. Work was ok. I thought I was caught up but alas there seems to be always more waiting to be done. The last real break I had was in January. I am really overdue for a vacation.

My car Jukie and I on vacation in NC.
(Squint closely and you can see me in the reflection of the car.)
She's itching for a road trip, too.

I'm also stuck on this quilt project I started and am not sure where to go next. It may end up in the land of misfit quilt tops I've started to collect. I have a rack that is slowly filling up with projects that I start and then reach that moment where it can become a nice quilt or it can become a monstrosity. So I try to put it aside to see if I can look at it again later with a new perspective. I seem to put them away and not touch them again for fear of making them worse. We shall see what quilts may come from this collection.

Do you have unfinished quilts/tops in need of direction, too?

For The Black Sheep - Day 8

I've always felt like the black sheep in the family. I didn't follow the rules or traditions of everyone else. I didn't get married, have kids, go to a Catholic church or even choose to live in the same city. I've chosen my own rules to follow which was upsetting to some who wanted me to be like everyone else. I had to honor that part of me that needed to just be free.

Choosing my own path and style has led me to create my own art, too. I like to design my own patterns that are not in books or found in stores/online. I do study techniques and ways to be more efficient when quilting but I don't want to make the same thing as everyone else.

Since I taught myself how to sew and quilt, I am sure there are huge mistakes I've made along the way. However, I've learned not to dwell on the little details and marvel at the bigger picture. I've made something for someone else with lots of love. For the most part, it's a one-of-a-kind design that no one else will have. (When it's not an improvised design, I usually throw away the pattern once it's complete because I want to push myself to make something new the next time.)

Doing something different is important. I know it has made me a more creative person who looks at the world and sees infinite possibilities.

(Being eaten by art in Asheville, NC)

I'm ok just as I am. I hope you feel that way about yourself, too.

About Me (Well, part of me!) Day 1

[My First Stab at Blogtoberfest!]

I have been a reader and lover of art for as long as I can remember. I started reading at an early age and stared at the art work of Rackham, Gorey, and Seuss which held my attention as much as the stories did.

Arthur Rackham's Little Red Riding Hood

I found myself lost in books for hours. I started writing my own little stories and had dreams of becoming a famous author. Somehow in becoming an adult, I decided that I needed a "real" job a.ka. - one that would pay money on a regular basis. I became a teacher to share my love of stories with others. 

About 14 years ago, I bought a sewing machine at a yard sale for $15 with my dear friend and decided that I was going to make my own clothes. (I mended a lot but never made anything that I would be seen in public wearing.) One day, my dear friend confided in me that she was pregnant and having another baby. I decided I wanted to make her a quilt. (My teacher's salary didn't cover much and I wanted to save a few bucks!) I was given a quilting book by my mother-in-law and that was the start of my love affair with quilting.

I still use my original Kenmore when I have heavy duty projects that don't need any frills like my newer Brother can provide. It's built like a steel powerhouse and will always be my first and favorite machine.