Creative Life Sampler

Newly Completed Project Circles IV- Plum and Celery This is the latest in my series of circle quilts. I started the appliqué work on a trip to the east coast in March and have just finished quilting the top. Though there is a lot of solid color, the quilting in these areas repeats the circle theme in a variety of ways. Some spots are heavily quilted, giving the appearance of darker shapes within the large color field. Quilting in large areas gives a quilt texture and added interest. Now there are at least three quilt tops that are calling for my attention, so I will press on... PS- If you have a better title for this quilt, I'm open to suggestions. 😊

Linen Closet- Evolution of a Pattern This quilt: "Summer Citrus" contains fabric with  a  summer fruit theme: lemons, cherries, watermelon...  Before moving to the west coast, I went to visit with a new friend and when we found we were fellow quilters she pulled out her quilts to share. She had one in pinks which caught my eye. There was no discernable pattern and I couldn't figure out how it came together, until she pointed out the blocks which made up the quilt. Then she gave me a zeroxed copy of the block. This was my introduction to the Crazy Quilt . Armed with her instructions I went home to create my own pink quilt,... and then a purple one,... several baby quilts,... graduation gifts,... well, I just haven't stopped using this pattern. But the configuration of the blocks and my goals for the ancestors of that first quilt have definitely evolved. On the pink and purple quilts I took great pains to evenly distribute the lights and darks a...

The Guy in the Yarn Section (2 of 2) Today's post comes under the heading of "a stranger's gem". This pattern is from Sock-Yarn Shawls by Jen Lucas Several years ago I was in the yarn section of the local big chain craft store browsing through the pattern books, looking for a new project to take on a trip. People were coming and going around me, but I noticed an older gentleman also perusing the books. Now up to this point, the males I had observed in this kind of establishment had generally been dragged there by eager crafters, commonly referred to as "mom". For me this was like sighting that rare bird you've wanted to lay your binoculars on all your life. My curiosity was stirred and naturally I had to strike up a conversation. It paid off. He was a rather experienced knitter. In the course of our conversation, he shared a fantastic, creative tip... Every knitter is familiar with tackling a new, complicated pattern, missing a step, dropp...

Something to Think About (1 of 2) How different our lives would be if this thought were in the back of our mind every time we met someone new! It implies that each human interaction actually holds within it a gem to enrich our experience and expand our knowledge; an unexpected gift from the person whose path happens to cross our path, in the check-out line,  on a park bench,  in the theater seat beside us, and on and on. But what if we expected that gift from every interaction? What a joy-filled day we would have; so many presents!  Underlying this sentiment is an inherent respect for our fellow-beings, and their life experiences. How different the world would be with this kind of "gift-giving" exchange...    A flock of birds resting together as the tide comes in on our beach walk. Check out this guy ↑  Note: You might know Bill Nye from the 1990's syndicated children's television series, Bill Nye the Science Guy . This show r...

Obstacles and Collaborating   (5 of 5) Is there anything that you personally find an obstacle to your creativity? And how do you overcome them?( Launa is quoted in  blue , Bill in  red .) The biggest obstacle to creativity is the thought that you have to create something that is good. It’s a very hard trap to resist. Instead of focusing on your creativity and coming up with an interesting groove, lyric, etc., you end up focusing on “I need to create a really great song that we can learn, put on an album and perform.” That doesn’t work. It’s important to make good decisions about which songs should advance and become full arrangements for a recording, but that’s the tail end of the process. In my case, I need to write a lot of bad songs to get some that will develop into what I hope will be good songs.  I think that’s true no matter what you’re creating. When I was illustrating, I would do lots of little sketches called “thumbnails” before choosing which one...

Individual Expression (4 of 5) So, to you, Miles of Music means...? (Launa is quoted in blue , Bill in red .) Well, great creative environments like Miles to Music enable people to just get started, and then they learn to strengthen whatever they produce, through a process that everyone can apply.   How about your vocations… Launa how has teaching influenced the way you create? Being surrounded by middle school students every day is a great reminder of the value of effort,... and the value of failure. Middle school students — as awkwardly unfinished as they tend to be — go through huge amounts of growth, in part by working hard each day just to stay afloat socially, emotionally, and academically. We tend to throw work at them that they can’t always do easily. That reminds me of how much adults have to learn from children about being confident and soldiering on in the face of uncertainty. Have you ever seen people struggle with the frustration or discouragem...

Lessons from Music Camp  (3 of 5) So you would definitely recommend Miles of Music? (Launa is quoted in blue , Bill in red .) Definitely! Our time at the camp has resulted in an enormous improvement in our songwriting, arranging and performance f or our own band, New Yeller . A big percentage of our songs were started on the island, or improved through the creative proce s s. Eventually all good things come to an end and you have to get back to the everyday life of the “real world.” Is it difficult to sustain that level of creativity when you go home?  We both have full time jobs, and we have been raising two kids for the last 20 years. There are so many priorities in our normal lives that it would be easy to say, “we don’t have time for that.” However, the process of writing, arranging, and performing music with New Yeller is so energizing that we tend to just feel inspired by that.  It sounds like this creative outlet is an important part of your ...

Music on Three Mile Island (2 of 5)  One of the paths on the island. It turned out that, before they brought their family to TMI for summer vacation, Launa and Bill attended  Miles of Music , a camp for musicians of all levels and experience which takes place on the island each June. They write and perform music together and I thought it would be interesting to share our conversation. (To make it easier to follow the give and take, Launa’s contribution is in blue and Bill’s is in red .) Tell me more about Miles of Music… This is a remarkable creative community of Americana and roots musicians who gather for a week once a year.The founders Kristin Andreasson and Laura Cortese partnered with Dinty Child, the off-season manager of Three Mile Island, to come up with this unique experience. It’s an incredible place to generate new songs, to learn new skills, and to let yourself try out new aspects of musicianship. I hear there is a waiting list for the camp, what m...

Summer on an Island  (1 of 5) Picture for a moment a large vintage building with a wrap-around porch nestled in the center of woods on an island in New England. On the porch there are long tables where multiple families, friends and strangers-turned-friends gather for meals in the warmth of their summer vacation. This is an Appalachian Mountain Club family camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire called Three Mile Island. And last summer, this is where we got to know Launa Schweizer and Bill Lienhard. Rows of tables set for the next meal. It began simply enough with introductory questions and responses as we passed dishes across the table in the family style sharing of a meal. One thing led to another and we ended up talking about creativity... (For more information on this summer family camp, check out this link:   http://www.3mile.org/ )

Happy Fourth of July, All! I've just finished up these quilts for a couple of high school graduates. Denim with stars suggested a patriotic theme... I considered two other settings for this simple square pattern:  There were lots of options for the placement of the red and white squares. And framing them added some interest. But, "simple" doesn't mean boring... The denim in this quilt is embroidered in lines of a paisley pattern which give it a direction. So, I alternated the pattern's orientation between rows of horizontal paisleys and rows of vertical paisleys. This gives the subtle effect of a grid that intersects at the large blue squares.