Three months ago I mentioned a picture challenge I’m doing with four friends.  One person picked this picture, and each person interprets it in a small art quilt.  We swap the quilts every three months, then start again with a new pic

And the winner is…..           The fish fabric!  I’ll post a picture of the pattern later this week, after I change the colors to match the fish fabric and  make a final pattern deci

Do you use the same style of fabric in most your quilts?  I know I do.  I favor tone on tone fabrics and subtle prints that read as solids.  Sometimes I use novelty prints in baby quilts or theme prints in holiday quilts, but you&rsquo

I’ve been thinking………  Sometimes when I’m looking at quilts in books or magazines, I’ll see one that has me thinking, “That is one ugly quilt”.  Then a few weeks later I’ll see the sa

I planned to post about some aspect of creativity, but the day job left me too drained to string meaningful thoughts together.  Creative inspiration will wait until another time.            

Sometimes creative opportunities knock softly at the door, like a great aunt come to visit, and other times they come slamming in like a five year old running flat out.  Guess which one came today?  Quilting Bloggers announced a new swap.&n

Last night my quilt group met to make table favors.  The group is one of three quilt groups that have a joint meeting every September with a potluck and a paid speaker.  The groups rotate different duties, such as set-up and programs, so no

The beginning of the journal cover with one empty corner waiting for a focal point.             Not my colors.  Not my style.  Not my usual materials.  But still from somewhere within m

In my never-ending quest to squeeze more creative time into my day, my attention has turned to work habits.  What drives the decision to start one project over another?  Why do some ideas linger like a mild headache?  Why do some proje

Many people are having a tough time these days.  I can honestly say I don’t know anyone living a charmed life.  We all have unique challenges, whether they are health, finances, career, or family.  I saw a picture online today of

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ll remember that I did a four week trial of getting up early every morning to sew.  I lost my momentum over the holidays, then it took me a few weeks to get back in the swing in January. 

I’ve added some new items to the side bar.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!  Beth Ferrier’s free Block of the Month starts on February 14th.  You can see the pattern and the fabric requirements here.  Do I partici

First, thanks to everyone who commented here or to me directly about buying kits and my sewing room reorganization.  I appreciate your input.  For now I am inverting my fabric marbling box to use as a cutting table.  It saved me the ha

The second week of getting up early to fit in more sewing/creative time did not go as smooth as the first week.  I had difficulty waking up the first half of the week, but I did better after the holiday.  I ended up adding about 3.5 extra h

I’ve almost finished the book Fearless Creating by Eric Maisel.  I picked up several good ideas and learned some things about the creative process and myself.  The author makes a few points worth repeating.    In the chapter

Whenever I need another book at the library, I browse their online catalog until I find an available book I want to read.  This saves me time when I stop at the library since I could wander around for hours without giving it a thought.  Wal

I came across a couple new websites the other day.  Well, new to me anyway.  The first is Creative Textile and Quilting Arts.  You can browse through articles, class offerings, ezines, quilt galleries and a related blog.  You&rsqu

I’m making progress on the May TIF challenge piece.  I’m compelled to work on this block every time I go into the sewing room.  Even when I plan to work on something else, I walk over and pick up this project instead. 

Tonight, I sewI haven’t touched my sewing machine in two and a half weeks except to unplug it.  In that time I’ve helped my son with schoolwork, cleaned the house, worked in the yard, visited my mother and cooked for my family. 

 I never know what will inspire me.  Inspiration often comes out of nowhere, like a soft breeze on a calm summer day, swirling around me and bringing me a smile.  The most unusual things will catch my attention and have me muttering &l

First I want to thank everyone who has left comments on my blog.  I love hearing from you!  Comments and feedback are always welcome and appreciated.  At work this week I’ve gathered information for an insurance claim on a buildi

I have a friend that sends me THE BEST links.  I have no idea how she finds them, but she does.  I have to share a few.In my house, I am the only female.  Even the pets are male.  This video explains everything I need to know abou

Last Friday night I met with three of the four ladies that participated in the round robin to have dinner and return the quilts to their owners.  I started with this  and got this back.  Didn’t they do a great job?  The squa

I’ve continued developing my ideas for Sharon’s January TIF challenge by spending time looking at the Andy Warhol book.  Most of his works were either black on vivid colors, vivid colors on black or tone on tone.  I decided to w

A new Yahoo group formed this week to explore using Electric Quilt (EQ) software to design art quilts.  The idea originated in the Info-EQ list hosted by Planet Patchwork.  The moderator is Sheila Williams, a computer consultant and long-ti