Second thoughts

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to show pictures of Tall Grass Prairie, to a friend whose opinion I trust.  She was very polite about  minutiae, but I could see she wasn't terribly impressed.   This sort of confirmed some reservations I had about the piece. The only way I can describe my concern is to say that it's very austere, and the design somewhat simple for the size of the piece.  I know that it is quite a bit larger than my comfort zone, which is quite happy working at about 12 by 12.  

While we are constantly told to stretch ourselves in our art, in order to grow creatively, I have to wonder if this applies to artists who are  at the end of their careers, as it does to those much as those younger.  The lady I spoke with yesterday talked about reaching a point where you are free to do whatever you want.  This would give me pleasure, but I also think it might give me permission to become lazy, and spend my time doing nothing but charity quilts, where I don't have to think, just to truck along with my sewing machine.  That's when I sometimes get "into the zone".  Very relaxing, but how satisfying--in the long run??

Tall Grass Prairie finished.

Here are the official pictures.

A couple of finishes today

First I finished a group of beads I've been working on for the past couple of days.  I painted strips of Tyvek with either Lumiere metallic paint or Dyna-flo fabric paint.  Then two strips,  one of each were rolled tightly around a piece of plastic drinking straw.  This was then "zapped" with a heat gun to melt and contort the Tyvek.  I will probably now wrap them with metallic ribbon for added "zowie".

Once that was done, I finished hand stitching the facing on a small art quiltlet.  I've made a sleeve, but can't decide which looks best--either the first picture, or the second where I've turned upside down.  I know that the test of an abstract painting is that it looks good in any direction, but I need to decide, so that it can be hung.  Any opinions out there?

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One of those days--

When whatever can go wrong does go wrong.  But I do have a couple of pictures.  Lately I've been working on a new piece, "Tall Grass Prairie".  I researched the subject and found small publication put out by The Manitoba Naturalist Society, now called Nature Manitoba.  I asked for permission to adapt some of the sketches in the book for thread painting, and received their permission.  I have it all put together, ready for backing and binding but decided that the irregularity in quilting had lead to some tension issues, that needed to be addressed.  I blocked it yesterday, without any success, so am now going to see if more quilting might stabilize it a bit better.  Here it is on my blocking board.

This entire piece was developed from the fabric used in the border.  I saw it at the recent quilt show, and fell in love.  It is Windham Fabrics, Marcia Derse Pattern 43187--"Birch".  Here is a close up.

It doesn't look like much, at first glance, but I can see so much potential in it, that I later contacted the shop where from which I had bought it and ordered more.

In the mean time, while waiting for it to dry, I got the hearts stitched together, and basted ready for quilting.  This makes three pieces ready for quilting, so I have a lot to do over the next while.

Work demands continue

But I refuse to stress myself over it all.  I've had to accept that what doesn't get done, doesn't matter, and have set up a priority system, and some long range production goals.  Right now, the goal is to complete two new exhibition pieces by mid-August.  I think this is achievable.  I have the preliminary work done on both, and a significant amount of the actual thread sketching done on one.  I am allowing myself to work on a few other smaller pieces and/or charity quilts as a change of pace. I read on the internet about some people setting a goal of making one applique heart a day during May.  I thought this might be one way of practicing the use of my new Apliquik tools, and had a such great time making them, that I've completed 39.  Thirty-six will be turned into a charity quilt, with the addition of a border, and the other three will join my pile of "orphan" blocks.  I can't believe that the bottom "orphan" block was sewn onto the wrong side of the background fabric. Must have been asleep when I did that.  But they are ready to be put together and finished, when the time is right.  I hope to complete one charity quilt per month over the summer, and already have a second one ready to quilt and bind.  The dark plum strips hanging beside the Heart blocks, is the binding for that one.

  I posted previously about an exhibition sponsored by Textile and Fibre Art Manitoba, where I had entered three pieces. (http://mousefactorydesigns.blogspot.ca/2018/04/a-new-challenge.html) We have now  been given permission to make a replacement piece for any of the others that might sell, so one of those is almost finished.  I'm finding that I really do prefer to work in a smaller scale than many of these exhibitions require.  The two pieces I spoke of above, are some of the largest I've ever made, and it's hard to wrap my brain around the different proportions.  But, stretching our comfort zone is one of the purposes of exhibiting, so I shouldn't complain.

Where did the time go!?

The past few weeks, I have been scrambling to fulfill various commitments that I've made for exhibition and sale pieces.  This is caused, in part, by a commitment I made to myself to explore some of the opportunities presented to me.  All my life I have been reluctant to accept any opportunity that is the least bit our of my comfort zone, and last fall I vowed to change that.  Well, now I'm over committed, and have not yet responded to half a dozen opportunities facing me right now.  As of today, I could have 4 (yes four) opportunities to exhibit my work, in September alone.  I have committed to two of those, as they aren't mutually exclusive.  But, there is no way I can take advantage of all of the opportunities, as I am just not capable of producing enough work over the next 2-3 months.

I've never face this sort of situation before.  I'm not sure how to make the decisions I have to make, as I've reached the point in life that I have to take my physical imitations, and family responsibilities into consideration. Old age is not always "Golden">

Thinking about my life--OMG! Not that again

Having finished the latest 12 by 12, I knew I needed a change of pace.  I took a look at the project I had put aside to work on them.  It's been on the design wall where I can see it every time I use the sewing machine, and I've been giving it a lot of thought over the past two weeks.  Today I came to a decision, cut it up and threw it in the garbage. Then I tidied the studio while mentally reviewing my "to do" list.  I decided to the designing of one of the other pending projects I have, documented in my sketch book.  It needed some research, and I started that on the computer, but wasn't the least bit successful finding anything useful.  So a trip to the library is indicated. It's closed today.  By this time I'm tired, and it's almost time to start cooking supper.  After supper, what do I have to do with myself?  Nothing.  There was no thing that needed doing, nor any thing available to amuse myself.  

It's been so long since I had any time off from the studio--where I'm deliciously happy most of the time--that I honestly didn't know what to do with myself.  A whole evening ahead of me, and I couldn't think of a thing.  So I spent the time evaluating my recent lifestyle,and found it very lacking in social contact, and any sort of activity outside the house.  This isn't healthy.  something needs to change.