Creative Life Sampler

The Expanding Adjective List (4 of 9)  This week I'm adding 3 new words to the gridding of this commissioned wall hanging: Accomplished, Adventurous, and Athletic, - all the "A" words.  Six more words to go! 👍

 First Word (3 of 9) The First word is finished!   Part of the fun of working with text is thinking about the best way to convey the meaning of the word. A bursting yellow batik in the background of this vibrant orange fabric seemed a joyful color combination for this block. All the text in this wall hanging will be created by hand in a technique known as reverse appliqué, which is great for the flowing lines and flourishes in decorative type faces. And "joyful" finds its place on the grid, . . . which word will be next?

Beginning Stages (2 of 9) Preliminary sketch of new project Last week I let you know about a new text quilt that has been in the planning stages for a while now. This is a commissioned piece so there have been some extra steps in getting ready to actually create words in fabric.   It will be a wall hanging inspired by the qualities expressed by a special someone in my client's life. Narrowing down the original list of words to ten was a thoughtful, deliberate process. After words were chosen by the client, my first step was to come up with a design and choose appropriate fonts for the words. The preliminary sketch is shown above.  Then a color scheme was established. (Here's the link for my fabric choice post:   https://creativelifesampler.blogspot.com/2021/03/new-project-inspiration-fabric.html  ) Once the details were ironed out it was time to translate the sketch, which fit on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, to the actual size of the wall hanging. So, I decided ...

  Starting a new word/text project!   (1 of 9)   So excited to begin work on a commissioned text quilt. The design has been approved and I'm ready to start some great words. I have a vibrant rainbow batik as my inspiration fabric and a nice assortment of colors to complement it.  This is going to be fun!!

Workshop on Reverse Appliqu é  Technique and Lettering My little work area for our 6 hour workshop day. Cozy. Last week was a busy one for me, - all new experiences! For a couple of months I've been preparing to give my first trunk show and workshop. A trunk show is an event where the quilter displays their work and gives a little lecture about it. Frequently, this is followed by a workshop on some aspect of the work that was shared. Under normal conditions, it's no small task to select the quilts, pull together a talk, and come up with a lesson plan for the workshop, but these days everything is still virtual. So I'm really grateful to have had some extra time to get ready, especially because it's been years since I've had the opportunity to teach. Setting up the technology to start the day. What a great experience!  I won't say that it went off without a hitch. The added challenge of dealing with the technology that facilitates meeting virtually added a layer ...

 Refresh In announcing the Pantone color of the year for 2021, Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute wrote:  “The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray, with vibrant yellow Illuminating, expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude.   Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; it is essential to the human spirit.” (See this link for more details on this color combination:  https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2021 ) I had been weighing several ideas for this color combination, but nothing seemed to click,  until January 20, Inauguration Day . I felt such an optimistic sense of renewal after the events of that day that the word “refresh” stuck in my mind. This wall hanging is my tribute to new beginnings. The word on this wall hanging is done in reverse appliqué. I've gone back to my...

 ... Correction: HER Story! Nothing, I am sure, calls forth the faculties  so  much as being obliged to struggle with the world. Mary Wollstonecraft, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787) I created this pillow as a Christmas gift which was given along with the children's book series  She  Persisted,  written by Chelsea Clinton and beautifully illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. So much achieved, so much more work to do.  Happy Women's History Month.