Party Aftermath

I wanted the title to be The Patiently Passionate Party Aftermath but that seemed a bit of a mouthful.

Sixty five is a significant number age wise .  Now that the party is over I shall pick a generic age and stay there.  50 sounds about right; young, but with some wisdom under ones belt!  lol  And for any who follow a church calendar, it is the year of Jubilee- when all the captives are set free.  Definitely applicable to my captive creative self.

I have been thinking a LOT about passion. Not so much when I was partying  but mostly when I was sitting on the lawnmower.   What makes for a passion in my creativity?  I think part of it is a mindset.  I am feeling to make some changes.  Usually I change before I think about all the ramifications but since I am now officially wiser, I'll take the rest of the year to ponder them.  But I'm a thinking that Holly Hobby is gonna look for a painting smock pattern and a beret!   lol

It was a great party!

Finished

 The last lesson's teacher is all about slowing down and details.  Neither are my modus operandi!  However I do see the value in it.  He also touched on the idea of stealing/copying work that one finds appealing.  It is a way to learn.  So I copied and included the detail.   It is all part of finding my style.  This I kinda liked but I would definitely make it more cheerful.  I think for learning a neutral colour scheme helps.

The second last class was about capturing animals, live animals.  Again, not my forte even if I do live on a farm.  I chose a stationary bunny.  ;~)  I actually was ready to rip but went ahead and added colour.  That added something surprising.

I am not planning on becoming a sketcher of all things natural and decorative.  But it is a tool and certainly is a useful one for my creative tool box.  I learned all kinds of useful things and most importantly, an artist must connect to the stimuli and then please him/her self.  I also learned that an exact replica is not often the goal and it is the 'mistakes' that give it character and define the artists style.

I am delighted that I really did finish.  I have one or two parts I want to review but I have only a final comment to add and then school will be out!  :)

Wow, the worktable bounce

To get to the June blocks I had to get the sewing machines humming and the cutting table cleared.

The HSTerical Quilt Along has helped get my Noah's Ark top completed.  The chopped off look kinda bothers me but I shall get the top into the gift cupboard and ready for a youngster.  My niece had a baby boy but I'm not sure Noah is appropriate.  ;~)   It floats here as we have rain forecast for everyday this week.

Then I had Mini motoring along.  I had thought dots for the sides but I have lots of this white.  I am keeping the stems to greens and a couple of aqua.  When auditioning flowers I decided to just use them all.  But there is a dirty fold in the background so I'll switch that out rather than take a chance. These painted tone on tones are a real pain to applique on but after the flowers it'll be all machine quilting.

I really hope I can use the dots for the binding.  I'll know for sure when it is all quilted.  I have been studying a site that uses long arm rulers on a domestic machine.  I am very intrigued!!!

My June bunnies needed to be fussy cut and that meant bias edges for three prints if I want to efficiently use the fabrics.

 I bought this ruler on sale somewhere, sometime and its day has come!  lol  I get ten centres from the fat quarters and there are a few that aren't centred but if I can live with chopped off waves I guess I can live with a few off kilter bunnies! :}

 I decided to just make my life easier and put strips around the centre.  I have THREE quarter inch feet but I was in such a hurry to get sewing that I didn't change Mini's foot.  grrr!  Since I am so enthralled with my sewing progress I decided that I can live with  seven and a half inch blocks.  This way I trim them all to the same size and NO problems.

  I do need to think about seams though because it'll make for faster assembling and this deadline is imminent.  :0  I prefer to sew my strips like logs around the cabin rather than pairs of opposites.  I just need to orient that one long strip to be opposite the seamed sides.  Since I have gotten a few quilts under my belt I've learned to enjoy the process and don't do near as much assembly line, chain piecing or peddle to the metal sewing.  :)

 My math is always dicey but I think I need about 50 blocks for this June wall hanging.   edit:  I multiplied and I should have added. vbsigh.  Now I have 20 extra centres.  :(

I'm bouncing around a couple of ideas for July and August.  ???

And now it is time to bounce around the country and see what the gals are doing on The Needle and Thread Network!  I hope there are places in Canada where the rain isn't bouncing off the peonies!  :)  

Grey matters

Another grey day here in what is usually Sunny Manitoba.

With a self imposed restriction on computer start time and the fact that Blogger is having issues I feel like I am making hay even though the sun isn't shining!  LOL

I have another week before my Sketchbook Skool ends and I have been motoring along.

This was learning watercolour washes.  I did enjoy this.  Slowly is not my usual speed but I 'Got' it!

My video viewing is sometimes like watching the herky jerky so I kinda did something while I waited for the demo to finish.  You can learn lots from the pauses but it does raise the blood pressure.  vbsigh.  But the good news was that  the lesson was a download pdf file!  :)  But I have a couple of more classes to get through so it may wait.  This class had a definite time limit which may be good for us procrastinators. :O

What I have learned so far is that sketching isn't my Passion.  Mixed Media collage is and I can diddle, well, I guess doodle,  in my sketchbook journals and get ideas for my collages.  It will be a tool and will certainly improve and enhance my grey matter so I can more effectively create!  yay!!!!

Starting Summer

Golly, summer is half over!  :O  My list of summer 'must do's' is no where near half done.  Time for some drastic steps.  I am not going to turn the 'puter on until lunch time.  :{   A quick check to answer any e-mails and the morning is gone.  :[   Morning is definitely my most creative/productive time.  The new plan is to have a work through lunch.  Please excuse the crumbs.  Now I do the blogs I follow through blogger's dashboard blog roll.  Never a glitch since I started blogging and survived all the changes till today.  I fired it up and I only have ONE to view and none other.  View all doesn't work.  All the blogs are there and I can see the latest posts if I specifically hit on my regulars but...  Must be a sign!  :O

Goodbye spring - hello summer

Darn it! Another season gone.  But then there is a fresh new opportunity to start over again with a fresh start!

Blogging has been a time of discovery and just when I was starting to think I might be unique- wham.  Here I am in a pigeon hole!  lol

I don't do horoscopes but I do know that I am born under the Gemini sign.  I definitely relate because I am such a dichotomy!   I am impulsive but such a procrastinator.  :(

Once again I have a 'bright idea'!   I am trying to be a bit more moderate so I am trying to consider all the ramifications these 'bright ideas' entail.  I am gonna give it at least two seasons to percolate.  :O

Instead of working at cross purposes with myself,  (I didn't post the unflattering traits of the Gemini personality) ...

I am going to try and get these two aspects to move in lockstep!  LOL

The good news is that the Rooster is the next zodiac sign and summer is his season to crow!  

                                                                  Bring on Summer!

Ah, summer!

This is our big ditch and where they dumped rock to stabilize the bank after they took out our bridge.  I thought it might be a good idea to document the inevitable!

Wow! The work table is flooded!

 It has been just pouring rain these last few days.  The sun is out  now so I hope I am not tempting fate with the open umbrella!  I have baskets on the table, a Noah's Ark quilt and some bunny fabric ideas. oops, I forgot about the Rooster's mending!  :(   I've no time for anything other than a flood of ideas!

This was the general idea for the basket quilt.  I will put the applique posies at the top.

The wall hanging should actually be a bit wider but I could trim the sides down if necessary.  The background of these baskets is a white on white print, a tone on tone.  I like them but this has been in the stash a long time and I remember why;  the print is painted on and a real pain to applique!  :{

But the narrower sashing is much better as it is less busy and doesn't overpower the baskets. And I want to see those darn painted flowers in the TOT fabric background.  ;)  I really kinda want to leave my focus fabric of polka dots in the quilt.  :}

I got a huge selection of bias tape at a thrift sale and was thinking of a vine with circles.  But I had an aha!  What if I did flower stems?

 Looking through my paper circles for a size I found this checkerboard circle.  Cute.  I'm sure I have some checkerboard fabric.  :)

These baskets are proving to be a very time consuming quilt!  My ark needs floating.

And my bunnies are wanting to get hopping!  Cutting the most bunnies that I can may mean doing these blocks on point.  :O

My camera sure doesn't like focusing on dots!  But I do think I have a plan for finishing!

I need to stop the flood that is washing away my time! vbsigh  But I do wonder what kinds of floods (ideas,  projects, fabrics, finished projects, mosquitoes, etc.) the gals on TN&TN are experiencing

One more chapter

Last week I needed two grad presents and journals seemed like a great idea.  In fact, I surprised myself with all of this.

I gathered my supplies and took my first process photo.  I wisely decided to split the cardboard covers,  Wisely because I ended up stuffing 21 assorted pages of folded paper into each journal. :O

But that wasn't the surprise.  The surprise was that I got so caught up in the making that I never thought of capturing any photos until I had the cord wrapped around the bulging books, the pens secured  and I had laid them down to consider how to gift wrap them.  It was two days of bliss.  Luved it!

The Rooster was reaching for the truck keys as I very quickly spread them out for a few quick shots!  :O

Forty two pages but only one signature .  I must learn to sew multiple signatures.

Some are small inserts and keeping them aligned during sewing is challenging.

 I used a variety of papers and techniques to add interest.

Most of the papers were made from earlier print sessions.

 Then I personalized the booklets even more with stamps and stencils.

 I also used some scrap booking sheets and coordinating accessory packages.

I ran out of time for any beads but some ribbon was a lovely addition.

I had to keep telling myself to leave room for the girls to do their own personalizing!  ;~)

The pocket on the back cover holds odds and ends but didn't quite have room for the pen. :(

I did so enjoy making these that I will definitely be making more and learning how to make them better!