WOW Breathing

 I have to drag my mind away from everything but this top.  It is the focus for the next little while.

I left it at this point last Wednesday. and I knew something was wrong.  It is difficult to match pieces to a sewn block accurately and all the curves have me confused.  Sew- breathe deeply and think about this.

I laid some pieces out on the table top and aha, my curves were wrong on the edges.  But when I took the pieces to the wall I again had to breathe deeply and do a bit of fiddling.  I think I have it.  I have also had a revelation.  Never again will I stop before I am done.  I forgot the plan and it is excruciating trying to regroup.

This is not a hard block to make.   The curves are gentle. I don't even pin once I've done a few.  The trick is putting the right piece topmost and pressing some seams open.  The fabric is starched and that helps in the cutting and the sewing.  The acrylic templates make things faster, easier and more accurate. 

I would recommend NOT counting how many pieces you'll need because there are a lot in each block and the block is small, six inches finished.  That is intimidating.  lol   But they go together fairly quickly and while all the colours make it a bit confusing to lay things out it also keeps my interest up while sewing.

I think I have the colour placement as it needs to be. I am thinking about the mauve on the edges but there is some in the centre so it does tie in.  I do know I do not have enough fabric but I have several similar fabrics so it is just a matter of deciding how to scatter them around so it looks like I meant it to be that way!

I'm happy to link up to The Needle and Thread Network and when I need to stop and breathe deeply I'll be visiting my fellow participants.

Nevertheless

I came to terms with the early spring and today I find that winter is back!  These girls are patiently awaiting the arrival of their offspring.  The front runner is in the barn reconciling the loss of one triplet, encouraging the second and trying to keep track of the third.  The next two are arguing over whose lamb is whose.  A young expectant mother is all excited and annoying everyone because the lamb she is looking for hasn't been birthed yet.  Sheep!!!

Beading class was also not without its no no's but the bracelet was completed to Jenn's satisfaction.  We also learned that the 'string' in the bead kit was the elastic we had needed.  vbsigh!  This bracelet can certainly be improved upon but it is my favourite to date. 

We then had a look at the next project and while it looks a bit complicated we will be proceeding one bead at a time, or should I say, jump ring!  The original bracelet was a thrift shop find.  We removed 3 charms and kept the shoe.  We'll be adding our own selections.  Jenn is a pink and purple gal.

The new art counter is working wonderfully. I may need to actually give up some more form to have function at optimum levels.  This is very different for me and really says something because I like things to look nice.  But I so want to just make 'nice' and I'm not caring so much about pretty surroundings! 

I read a quote somewhere and then had it confirmed by a short video last night that the talent to make great works is there.  But the ability to actually make it falls short and we know it is, well, awful.  I was there.  What I did was not what I envisioned.  I was discouraged.  Thank goodness I didn't quit.  Because it happens to everyone.  What is necessary is to stick, and stay; swallow the salt and then savour the sweet taste of a small success that signals the end of the beginning and the beginning of a whole new exciting journey.  Last week I had that Aha! moment.  Things 'cu licked'.  While I'm still learning, things aren't quite so awful.  I knew I had arrived when my Rooster commented on my new artistic addiction.  :)  I've been noticed.  LOL  I showed him my balance page and asked what he thought.  He took a moment to think.  He said, yes!  VBSigh  Because if he got it, I got it! 

Studio Spring Sprint

I have come to terms with the early spring.  I don't usually think of the yard til May but the weeds won't wait and the debris is blowing about.  The weather was okay but served up a stiff northerly breeze for Friday. 

We got a good day's work in but nothing photo worthy.

The weather is kinda nasty again today so I'm back to thinking about the month of April.

 Now I need to figure the best way to stay up to date with the Altered Book tutorials which I am enjoying immensely.  This mixed media is 'clicking' for me and I want to do MORE!  Then the quilting for the quilt show needs to move along as well.  I also am tired of shoving stuff about for the beading class.  That means I need supplies to be where I can work on them.  So I'm studying the playroom layout.  Basic configuration works but the counter is actually too high.  So...

I changed the ironing board cupboard for the art supply cupboard.  This will be way better to stand and work at. 

The ironing station has a new cupboard that my Rooster has been trying to ignore.  I'll have to ruffle his feathers a bit!  I figure the hooks will hold up that pesky iron cord and the shelves can always hold things.  The lower cupboard  is a bit high but I do have an ironing board and this is for quick pressing of patches. 

All this is helpful as I need to think about what to keep here and what to send to the workroom when I get it done.  I could use some tweaking of Nina's space but that's as good as it gets for now.

I need to think of an appropriate name for the workroom.  This is my Coop and Saucer Playroom.  I have some birds and some teacups.  Not sure what the workroom will actually evolve into but it'll be for wet and messy stuff.  Suggestions welcome! 

Blessings

The more I learn...

                                                             KEEP IT SIMPLE SWEETIE!

Elizabeth has started the next session with design principles.  Everyone lists the elements differently.

I like the HUB acronym and then the ps.  This page not so much, but then I probably am not done with it either.

The theme book I started has limited pages so I'm reviewing and documenting in another book.

This is NOT a work of art.  Neither is it my style.

This is a workbook.

Harmony:
It really is a good exercise to learn about the design elements as if this was the first time you heard of them.  The resources are often given different approaches and one commentator's description may clarify or enhance anther's.

Unity:
I definitely got a better handle on both harmony and unity although there are similarities to each.  Two down and three to go.

What a fun play day.  I do believe what 'I got' has stuck and I am much more comfortable with the whole creative process.

Wow Quilting

This is where my daughter's wedding quilt stalled.  I was at the Common Threads Quilt group Monday night and it is time to be thinking about the quilt show.  My DD has had her bedroom renovated and the quilt needs finishing.  I am thinking the focus for April needs to be quilts.

The design was a Bird of Paradise wall hanging which I just kept adding to. 

Of course I not only changed the finished size, I changed the colours also.

Even with a coloured diagram it has been challenging to keep track of everything.  It doesn't help that some of the fabrics are directional.

If this looks blurry it is because it is also the way it looks to me as I lay things out piece by piece so I can keep track of what needs to happen next.    I need one row and a half to finish.

This year is the town's centennial and our quilt group, headed up by Melissa, has set a challenge of 100  twelve inch quiltlets depicting the town's history.  I made a block for a friend whose husband ran a sheet metal business.  He was always passing out company pens so an old jacket yielded the logo and the pocket.  Quilters who are interested in the happenings in our part of Manitoba or even for the whole province, can checkout this link for local happenings.

Then as soon as I decided to work with fabric this month an old blogging friend, Judi, who greatly encouraged my desire to branch out creatively, sent me some paper that she was sorting in an attempt to organize and simplify her studio.  Aren't they just gorgeous!  Judi blogs over at Approachable Art.   I suspect it'll take me a month to get over the urge to just frame and display them.  But if a picture is worth a 1000 words, actually having the real deal in your hand is priceless.  I gotta get better paper to work on!

But the same day I got my supplies from Superior Threads so it looks like it is going to be sewing for sure this month. Now if I could just find where the challenge fabrics from the last quilt show are hiding I could be at least be thinking of doing it after the bird of paradise is well feathered and ready to fly!

I often forget to say that on wow Wednesdays, I link up with Canadian gals who share their work on 

The Needle and Thread Network.

                             Please head over and have a look at what we Canuck's consider artistic.

The problem with black

This bead project requires ribbon elastic.  The only colour we had was black.  The knots aren't quite hidden and now we will take this week to come up with a creative solution to hide the knots.  The design calls for 5 strands to circle and hold the larger strands together.  But they need to stay in the area of the knots.  It is very pretty though.  Not bad for $1.50 bargain store beads and we have loads left over.

Two heads are better than one and if the picture taker adds her grey matter to the mix we'll be able to problem solve wonderfully.  lol

Another problem is my big guard dog has just been making a racket outside the window.  He doesn't like the big black crow that is up in the tree by the chicken coop.  This one is after the eggs the chickens are laying right in the coop.  It'll fly down and go through their little doorway, bully the hens away, grab an egg from the nests and fly away with it in its mouth.  They hunt in pairs and the lookout will be on the job. Just opening the window for my photo opportunity was enough noise for it to leave.  Darn. 

Altering my book

Lesson 4 over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's Altered  Book Lover's blog  is well under way.
My experiments with glue can be found  here.

I had not done Mod Podge so I tried it for this class.  It is okay and fairly cost effective as well. But I am also learning that actually working in the book is not ideal because of the spine.  These pages do not thrill me but I have begun.  I'm thinking I like the idea of 'tip ins'.  For these an inch of so of two pages is left to insert a completed page between.  

With the idea of a tip in page in mind I put mod podge between a music page and a piece of printer paper. 

Some forethought presented itself.  The title for the music was reapers and I was thinking spring fern fronds.  I made a second set with the fern fronds in mind.  Reaping will be towards the end of the book where winter is  featured. 

An experiment that s p r e a d !

We were asked to use white glue as a design element.  I tried a tree.  I like the idea but a young sapling quickly spread to an old punky tree.  The tree also became way more realistic so those cute duckies are totally inappropriate.  :(

 Serious touch up for an aging tree.

 

A paper I'd photo copied of ferns glued to a music page. Not original but my own thought at least.  hmmm, I shoulda printed on green paper.  I also shoulda put new ink in the printer!!!  But the suggestion is there for me and I'm confident I'll run afoul of no copyright laws.  lol

I drew in frond shapes.  With several markers in browns and greys I filled in dead foliage and emerging ground.  With a paint pen I sketched the essence of ferns and filled in the background sky with a watercolour pencil. 

I like and it'll be up and away from here! 

I wanted a tree branch.  I'd traced a branch unto tissue paper some time ago.  It is wonderful having an assortment of material laying about in various stages of readiness.

  I mod podged it down and put wax paper on top when I was flattening it.  Awk!  It was tearing the tissue when I lifted it.  Well, wax paper could be another layer.  Right?  But it turned out to be pretty peelable when it had dried more.  The wax paper had some gesso on it which adds to the whole I think.  Memo to self: sometimes clean wax paper is preferred!  ;-)

A bird stamp to finish it off.

I have learned that creative tries create their own inertia.  Ideas and abilities begin to tumble over one another.  Sometimes it is even hard to keep up!  I felt so flush I sketched my very own branch on scrap book paper using every brown and black mark maker I could find.  I do like stamps, but simple ones.  Wow, instant depth.  I like!  lol

One last photo.

 In keeping with the idea of one thing leads creatively to another I have decided to do a journal calender. It will be an opportunity to do and record simple arabesque designs each day. 

I can't believe I've added one more thing to an already full agenda.  But this is heady stuff.  I was making a calendar way past my usual bedtime.  The rooster was turning out lights on me wanting a good night sleep so he could be up early for crowing.  I was laying awake trying not to count future eggs before they could be hatched.  Here is to a creative April.  No fooling!

Cu LICK!

I got it!

Too bad the sun has come out and the Rooster is crowing. I gotta quit.  But I got it, I GOT IT!!!