Creative Life Sampler

Message From 2020   Christmas gift with a "Be Still" message in reverse appliqu é . As we prepare to turn the calendar page to 2021, it may be beneficial to take a moment to reflect on the lessons of 2020, and try to find something positive to bring with us into the new year. 2020 was challenging, and often disheartening, to be sure. Stay-at-home orders cushioned us from the outside world, but in doing so it left people feeling isolated. So, to help feel connected to something beyond our four walls, it was natural to search out information in order to "stay informed." After all, the world outside continues to turn.  However, the endless news cycle often felt more like an emotional roller coaster than a source of information. In our home, we began to tune out the sensational stuff, absorb the substantial highlights, and capitalize on the moments of quiet the circumstances afforded us. More than ever, it became important for mental well-being to take time to "Be ...

Companion Creations   (2 of 2) Ordinarily, as Christmas approaches I begin to prioritize my "to do" list in an attempt to simplify life and maintain my equilibrium. Adding a last minute project would be vetoed immediately. But 2020 is not an ordinary year.  With the family unit all together, no holiday gatherings or festivities to fill the calendar, and one sweatshirt well under way, it was inevitable that a second "ugly Christmas" sweatshirt would follow. Another imaginative family member did a quick sketch which became a reality.     We made a few adjustments to this sketch. The squirrel was placed on the ground, silhouetted against the white of the snowman to show off his furry tail and make more space for the scarf. We also flipped this design so the two snowmen would face each other if/when they are worn side-by-side.   These two snowmen are a reflection of the personalities that envisioned them. I imagine they may be modified or embellished in fu...

Creating Your Version of the "Ugly Christmas Sweater" (1 of 2)   Original quick sketch for this project. An obvious consequence of adhering to stay at home orders is we're all together,... all the time. Right now, many people aren't commuting to work. They plow through assignments without distraction from co-workers, and don't have to dry clean work cloths or feel compelled to run other minor, non-essential errands. It turns out there's a lot more time in the day to be creative.  And holidays inspire one to create.  If you hadn't noticed, the 80's vintage "Ugly Christmas Sweaters" have become very popular again as people update and add their own twist to this garment in fun, amazing ways. Recently, in anticipation of a Zoom meeting with this theme, one of our kids was inspired to make one. She sketched out an idea and we got to work together to make this vision a reality.       After gathering supplies and tools: sturdy fabric scissors, an i...

Sharing a Skill to Create Dutifully masked, I ventured out last week to pick up some items so I could finish up a quilt project. I brought along a shopping partner who was feeling inspired to be creative. When she decided to make a small investment in three skeins of bulky yarn and a circular needle, I was pleasantly surprised, encouraging, supportive,... and guardedly optimistic. To be honest we've been down that road before. I've tried several times through the years to get people in my home interested in this skill. No one has stuck with it or seemed to enjoy it. No doubt the fault lies with the teacher. As a result, I determined that knitting is really tough to teach.   So, I'm sure you can imagine my delight when I saw this project taken up with great enthusiasm, and it is moving along at an admirable pace. It turns out the skill had been absorbed and stored away. It was just waiting for a spark of interest in its use and a yearning to create something.  I was doubly...

  #4 in Hawaiian Appliqué Series Angel's Trumpet Pattern (created 2011-2012) I chose to use a rich red against a warm white for this vibrant version of the Angel’s Trumpet Hawaiian appliqué pattern found in Elizabeth Root's Hawaiian Quilting .  This is the last in a series of tryptic wall hangings I created between 2007 and 2012. With these projects, it was very enlightening to see how color can play tricks on the eye. The exact same template was used for each of the three squares, which were sewn separately and then joined together. Yet, when the darker color is used for the shape, it looks more delicate against the light background than when the darker color is in the background and the shape is sewn in the lighter color,... interesting. That's another bit of knowledge to file away and perhaps manipulate to an advantage for future projects.  😏    (You can check out the other three wall hangings by going to Hawaiian Appliqué under the Labels tab in the b...

Just Completed a Flower Garden   Last September I started doodling the beginnings of this quilt in my idea journal; this project has been fermenting in my imagination for quite a while. On November first, I finally plucked up the courage to put the idea to fabric using the batiks in my fabric stash. It was finished the day before Thanksgiving.  This quilt was paper pieced by hand. In this process the shape is cut from freezer paper, ironed on to the fabric, and cut with 1/4 inch extra on all edges so the seam allowance can be folded over the paper. The shape is placed over another prepared piece with right sides together and seamed with a whip stitch. Then the seam of the joined pieces is pressed flat and ready for the next addition. Before a quilt is sandwiched with batting and the backing, the freezer paper templates are easily removed and can even be reused. This is a detail of the wrong side of the quilt showing pieces joined together with paper templates intact: The paper...