Bubblicious

Having some fun with my bubble theme. Here is how all four shears read on the background fabric. From left to right: white, grey, lavendar and maroon.

I'm using Steam-a-Seam lite on the sheers. I've discovered that, particularly on synthetics like these, its tackiness isn't always enough to hold it in place until the fusing process. I get around this by applying a little heat while the backing paper is still attached. Then I can trace and cut without worrying that the fusible will pop off and it doesn't effect the tackiness of the exposed side. Here you can see I am drawing random-sized circles to fit these odd sizes of fusible. That circle template is so great to work with for this sort of thing because the sizes (which are many) change so incrementally. Just slide the template around until the right size circle appears.

The circles are not perfect - even using the trick of moving the fabric rather than the scissors, I failed to follow the lines perfectly, but I don't think it's a big deal. I found the cutting to be almost meditative so that when I got to the arranging, I wasn't so uptight about it. Yes, Virginia, I am having fun playing with my bubbles, and am pleased with how things are coming along. The painters tape, by the way, is a guide to keep the design within what I think the finished dimension will be. If this goes well, I may try it again with the same fabric in a larger size. 

Blast from the Past

I don't often use construction paper but that doesn't mean I don't keep some on hand just in case. As I found the box holding some of my designing aids like freezer paper sheets and graph paper, I also found an envelop holding this pad of construction paper. Oh my! And check out that price point. Yes, I am a long-time hoarder, it cannot be denied!

Don't you love these color names? I suppose back in the late 60's or early 70's when this came out, you couldn't find the bright "happy" colors advertised here. Frankly, they don't seem so bright anymore, or perhaps they've faded over time. Anyway, I may play with them a bit as I flesh out another circle idea. Wonder if I still have any hippie clothes hidden away that I could don to get me in the mood?

About to Bubble

I have a couple of ideas for small quilts that incorporate circles. The first I think I'll play with is circles as bubbles. I've pulled some sheers I think may give the look of bubbles.

I would have started on this last week, except I hadn't come across my circle template. I was pretty sure that the boxes left to crack open just held fabric or books or magazines, but since I keep this template in a flat bag with my compass and protractor, I convinced myself I must have slipped it in with the books.

I can be pretty dense at times. I suddenly realized last week why I was having so much trouble getting to work in the studio, and it wasn't just the missing circle template. The condition of that room had begun to make me feel claustrophobic and backed into a corner whenever I went in there. I'd stalled out on the unpacking and rearranging, I'd equally stalled out on moving forward on my two traditional quilt tops. And I couldn't get moving much on these new ideas for art quilts. It just wasn't an inviting place to work with so much of the set-up unresolved and boxes in the way. So once the fabric washing and ironing was over and I realized what was happening in my head, I spent several days organizing what was already lying around, and then tackled the boxes stacked around the room - major progress! Today I got my good sewing machine in place and tweaked the set-up on that side of the room, then got the second table up on risers, giving me a 60" wide surface for layering the triangle quilt top. I cut some squares from old mouse pads to slip into the indentation on the top of the risers - I'd discovered that the table legs slid around in there making the tables unstable. The soft grip of the mouse pad solved that problem and justified my hanging on to those mouse pads for so long - they nearly went into the Goodwill bag this last move.

And where did I find the circle template? Not in any of those boxes or piles I attended to. No, I'd packed it away in one of my sewing machine table drawers - obviously because I wanted it easily accessible, not buried in some box. I only came across it because I was looking for something else I thought was in that drawer. I continue to excel at outsmarting myself...but at least now, I can get to work on those bubbles.

Reality Check

"One should be more concerned with the painting and what it needs than with reality. One needs to edit, design and arrange reality to make it into a painting. It's more important to mix colors to create a beautiful harmony in the painting than it is to match exactly the local color of a shirt."

Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco - The Artist's Magazine November 2011

I admit to falling prey to the pitfall of rendering too literally from reference material, but at least now I more often recognize the behavior earlier on in the design process. Still, there's a great temptation to think if that is what one is seeing in nature, or on the street or wherever the inspiration is coming from, then it must be right. We must always be open to "arranging reality."

I was reminded of this recently when viewing a rather spectacular piece which had an element that didn't feel quite right. I wondered if the artist deliberately chose the placement and color of that element or if it was simply true to reality. Maybe it would not have bothered someone else, but the fact that I was questioning it made me think perhaps it was a misstep of matching.

This fear of being too literal is holding me up a bit at the moment. I have several photographs taken in Rochester that I want to work with. Because I was there, saw everything beyond the edge of the photograph, I know there is a danger of a certain understanding of the image that would not carry over, might produce some head scratching. There's also the danger that I will convince myself, consciously or subconsciously, that the photo is the perfect composition, thus should not even be cropped let alone edited. I mustn't become so attached to the image and experience that I am unwilling to see any weakness that might arise during the transfer from reality to fabric. In fact, I'd be willing to say one needs to edit, design and arrange reality to make it better than reality. The only question is, am I up to the task?

A reality that needs rearranging.

 

The Advantage of Libraries With Stacks

On my way to find this...

I found these...

I don't care how clever Amazon is, thinking it knows what books to suggest based on previous buying history or searches, it rarely takes me off in a new direction, just offers up more of the same. My reading list, compiled from recommendations and reviews from many sources, covers a wide range of genres and interests. While scanning titles in the library stacks (or a book store), I can stumble upon something I didn't know existed let alone thought I'd be interested in. I can't seem to have the same experience searching titles on line. Computer searches are great if I know exactly what I'm looking for, but give me a wander through the stacks any day for that unexpected moment of discovery that leads to checking out so many more books than I intended.

Unexpected Snag

I've been asked by a good friend if I'd donate a small piece of art to the Empty Bowls Silent Auction fundraiser for Feed My People Food Bank of Eau Claire, WI. I lived in Eau Claire before moving back to Idaho so I am happy to take part. I've been encouraged to include a lengthier "item description" (i.e. info about me as well as the art) than the donation form leaves room for, plus a business card. Oh yeah, have not updated my cards or letterhead since the move, so decided to take a few minutes to do that this afternoon. Gremlins have been at work in my computer apparently. The font I've used on these items for years no longer exists in the files, so I spent more time than I wanted choosing new fonts. I could have gone for a whole new look, but instead, tried to match as closely as possible the original look. I know that heading on the letterhead was done with some kind of script font; I couldn't find any script on the list so had to settle for italicizing (copy on top). Not happy but it will do for now. As long as I was at it, I also updated the labels I sometimes print for the back of my quilts. As for the artist statement I was going to print on letterhead to go with my donation - well, I ran out of time to mess with it today.

I think I'm done washing smelly fabric. As I sorted through what was left on the dryer into loads, I found that most of them now smell fine. Two small loads was all I had to wash and iron today, preceded by folding and filing the batches washed and ironed the last few days. I've started a "water" wall as I've run across batiks I think might work in this water-themed series I've got on my mind. Most of the blue fabrics came from Cathie who passed along her "scraps" to me last year. No, these aren't all to go in one quilt, in case you were questioning my sanity or good taste. In fact, one is for an idea having nothing to do with water, but like my water theme, came out of my time in Rochester. Anyway, it is good to have these ideas up on the design wall, encouraging me to keep clearing the decks so I can start on one of them. 

It's the Eye Again

We've had some gloriously sunny days lately which the "cursed" eye has delighted in. It spotted the way the sunlight angled through the trees behind my townhouse, saying "here's a solution to that tissue paper sunprint that's been bugging you for so long." Most of the time I notice a tree trunk lit up by the sun and only a thin sliver along one side in shadow. This day, the bulk of the trunk was in shadow and the sunny part a small accent. I couldn't believe how it gave me ideas of how to fix this piece of cloth I didn't want to just cut up.

The eye has also been observing the sunsets from the upstairs office. I love this room in the afternoon, so full of light and so often the perfect viewing place for a colorful departure to the day. I've always noticed the sky a particular shade of blue in January, but lately the eye has pointed out that near the horizon, that blue has turned a shade of teal green. Not sure what I'm going to do with that bit of information, only know I have that color in my stash.

Speaking of my stash, I really have been avoiding the inevitable, that all those lovely batiks of mine needed a run through the washer, followed by ironing. Now, I don't mind that part at all. It's more the folding and putting away that slows me down. Anyway, I got to more of it over the weekend and was reminded that there are often silver linings in tasks you wish you didn't have to do. To my surprise, I found myself staring at several fabrics that should make perfect backgrounds for several new ideas I've been stuck on, precisely because I couldn't think what the backgrounds should be. I don't think I would have considered any of these had I just been flipping through the folded stack of batiks. I think it was a combination of seeing these fabrics in their entirety and, through the somewhat monotonous process of pressing, the releasing of the right brain to make the connection. Thank you eye; thank you right brain. I'll try to be more positive about chores like this in the future.

The Reminder List

I've been a little under the weather this week, so although I did resume washing of the smelly fabric over the weekend, I've not done much else since then. Stuff on the computer has been about all I could muster between long stretches on the couch. Rather than feeling bad about that, I realized I was indulging in at least one of the things on my Reminders list. And that made me think I should share the fact that the reminder list has more on it than art-making things. Terry Grant wrote a great post about this "January thing" we tend to do and how so much of it is geared around becoming more efficient. She offers a different model which I so agree with. Truly, we need to get our heads out of the "creating art 24/7" mindset and understand that a well-rounded life that includes things that on the surface sound counter-productive and mere diversions are just the things we need to propel the art part.

Looking for mom & dad in 1940 Census

That for me was part of the point of my list. I need to be reminded that it is ok to, say, knit in the evening rather than applique, or read a novel over lunch rather than a quilting magazine, or as I did the other evening, get totally sucked into the Ancestry.com website. Yes, Genealogy research was the third thing on my list (I've dabbled off & on with my dad's side of the family & have wanted to organize the documents and photos I have for years), right after adding gallery pages to the blog (hard to sell on line as I'd like without a place to direct potential customers) and updating my cafepress site (I made no changes nor promoted it in 2012 and still managed some sales in December). Then came involvement in an art group (after two years of talk, another textile artist and I are finally getting the group off the ground this month). Only then did I start jotting down things directly related to making art as well as heeding the call of some traditional quilt projects and oh, yeah, taking time to try fabric bowls and follow up on the handbag and tote ideas stored in a bin. As in the last couple of years, it looks like I really want to address unfinished business in all facets of my life, and not out of guilt, but truly out of a calling, and have some fun too. 

I want to find that sweet spot of balance and harmony that was to be my guiding principle of last year, pulling in my many interests (they did not all get on the reminder list, just the ones I sensed I'd forget) and seeing that no one thing over-monopolizes my days. There should be room for just about everything, even if it is just in small doses. With perseverance as my resolution word, I'm on my way.

My lovely niece could not have said it better in her note that arrived shortly after the new year; she summarized perfectly my hopes for the year. I extend the sentiment to my dear readers as well:

"May 2013 be a year of much art, love, inspiration and travel."

Not Goals

Judy Hopkins Mystery Quilt Step 3

I'm not doing the whole "goals" thing this year; it might be another disruptive year and setting goals only feels like a way to set myself up for frustration, disappointment and failure somewhere down the road. Setting goals feels too rigid (although I'm well aware that goals can be revised as needed), too confining, a recipe for disaster in my present state. I have an overwhelming sense that I must do better at "heeding the call" as it arises rather than try to map out a plan. Too often I have pushed something I really wanted to work on to the bottom of a priority list. This year, I will strive not only to be more in tune with desires as they arise, but also to tamp down the guilt and misplaced sense of duty that in the past has kept me from acting on those desires.

Judy Hopkins Mystery Quilt Step 4

And so I am still working on "non-art" quilts, completing a set of blocks for this mystery quilt. It has occurred to me over the last few days that this probably is not the best use of my time right now; nevertheless, that is where the pull, the call has been, and so I have heeded it. I've become acutely aware that I've let my charity quilting that was once so important to me lapse. And besides, the repetitive nature of this work free of many decisions is letting the right side of my brain do its work uninhibited by my more critical, practical and negative left brain. It is sending out messages now and then about the art quilting I'll be getting back to soon, putting together scattered ideas into coherent plans, presenting solutions to what the left brain was sure were insurmountable problems.

I think it also sent out a message that even if I didn't set goals, it wouldn't be a bad idea to at least jot down a few things that have been on my mind to do. At first, I didn't know quite what to call this list; certainly not a list of goals or even a "to do" list. I tried "framework" and "focus" and "directions", all with question marks after them, all applicable but not quite hitting the mark. But I had to get something on paper before I forgot completely the sorts of things I thought I might play with, accomplish, really needed to attend to. I paused in my piecing, wrote two things down and blanked out. Well, it's a start, I thought, and continued with my sewing. As you can see, it wasn't long until I remembered other things, continuing this pattern of sewing and writing and sewing and writing until I filled a page and a half.  Not goals, just something to refer to on those occasions when I'm standing there, blanking again, wondering what it was I thought I wanted to do.

Judy Hopkins Mystery Quilt Step 5

It wasn't until yesterday that it hit me what my list should be called...reminders! For that is exactly how I intend to use it. It will be a guide of sorts, but mostly it will hold in place those things that call to me that I can't get to right away, free up my brain to attend to the call in front of me, and remind me what the next call might be when all I hear is silence.

Judy Hopkins Mystery Quilt "Relatively Speaking" copyright 1997

Here is the stack of 17 blocks for the Judy Hopkins "Relatively Speaking" mystery quilt (copyright 1997!) along with the last step showing the final layout. To be honest, this is not the most interesting mystery quilt pattern I've seen and I'm not that crazy about the block itself, which she calls Grandmother's Choice. Poor Grandma, I'm thinking, if among all the wonderful quilt blocks, this was her choice, placed in a rather uninspired set to boot.

I should just finish it up quickly per pattern instructions, but I could not help wondering if I wouldn't like it better if the blocks were set on point. Years ago I'd been advised that almost any block becomes more interesting if set on point and once I turned the stack of blocks, I could see how much better I liked it. This sent me to my Electric Quilt software program to play with block and border sets and this is the one I like the best. It will mean I'll have 2 blocks left over and I'll have to figure the dimensions of the setting triangles. I'm not sure I have enough blue fabric to make that border, but I'm really called to make these adjustments. There's not much worse in my book than finishing up a quilt you aren't that crazy about, even if it is for charity. Left brain is encouraging me to set it aside and decide all this later but as I've mentioned before, I'm really trying to break that habit of procrastination. I think I'd better decide today whether to finish the top per instructions or go my own way, even though it will take more time and effort, and then get right to finishing it. Yeah, that decision may be a no-brainer.

It's a Curse...

Yes, sometimes I think this creative eye of mine is a curse. I can't seem to do much of anything without it noticing something interesting going on. In this case, it wanted to deflect me from my work on the computer by focusing on an ever-changing reflection along the edge of the monitor. I'd opened the vertical blinds on the window behind the computer station, and it was the slats slowly waving back and forth being reflected and distorted by that shiny black plastic edge. That's fine and well, I guess, that my eye would say, hey look! And take some pics too. But then it refuses to follow up by even hinting how I might use what it's just made me take notice of. It's a curse, I say!

It's 2013

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."

Hans Hoffman

I cracked open another box in the studio and was faced with a stack of papers I'd not had time to sort through before moving. Story of my life: good intentions but always delaying the inevitable to a future date. The future is catching up with me and so rather than follow the usual impulse to shove said papers back into the box, I sorted through them. The above quotation was the only one of 3 pages of similar inspirational quotations printed from the internet that still resonated. We are constantly encouraged to simplify these days, but this particular perspective made the case in a way that made sense to me. Something I can apply to my material holdings as well as my actual art designs. A wagging finger as I continue to settle into my new studio.

I'd love to report that I hit the ground running on New Year's Day, studio set up, goals lined out, new projects in process. Instead, I was still pondering and rearranging and bring forth even more things to be put away. And I finally moved out of the denial phase about a portion of my stash I thought unaffected by the smells in my old house. Actually, they are not musty or mildewy, but they are anything but fresh. I think the real culprit is how tightly I had them packed into baskets, no way for air to circulate, cautionary tale here.  So with the new year, the washing and ironing has begun.

Here's the state of the studio on January 1. I pulled that 5 drawer unit out of the closet to replace a lower unit that now stacks with like units on the outer wall, placed my irons and spray bottles atop it, shifted the ironing board a bit and now have a much better pressing station. I'll have to work on what's in those drawers but for now, the goal is to get all stash storage on the same side of the room. That meant some bins in the closet on the left got shuffled into the right closet and bins I'd rarely crack open moved into their place on the left. The fabric on the worktable is the first of the smelly ones now washed and dried. The floral is from a skirt I'd made for myself I don't know how many years ago, but too pretty of a print not to think it could go in a quilt. Ditto for the blue fabric, which has cranes. Now I'm thinking they might be good fodder for fabric bowls. Under them is a turkey red bought specifically for a reproduction of an Amish quilt along with some Amish black. I still think I'd like to make that quilt, but for now, that fabric is folded ready to go in a big bin. Ok, so I still don't have a good handle on this simplify thing, but at the moment, none of this seems unnecessary to me.

So this is how I ended 2012 - not rushing to complete one last quilt to add to the year's tally, nor tallying my accomplishments at all, not making big plans for the new creative year, not even considering a new resolution word to guide me in 2013, just still trying to get my feet back under me and making slow but sure progress towards settling into the new space with all the old baggage, good and bad.

One of the things I unearthed last week was fabric set aside for a mystery quilt. It was muslin along with just two pieces of fabric bought early on in my "seriously getting into quilting" phase before I understood the difference in fabric quality. Once I did learn that it was printed on a lower quality griege goods, I thought putting it into this mystery quilt would be a good way to use it, the quilt probably destined for charity. But of course, that put it pretty low on the priority list and it was one of those things pushed to the back of the closet. Well, it had picked up a little smell too, and something made me vow to at least cut the pieces for the top once the fabric was washed, not just file it back in the closet. So in fact, I DID start something on January 1st, yet another traditional quilt, but again, it all seems a part of getting me back into creating. Something reassuring about wielding the ruler and rotary cutter to cut those precise squares and triangles. And as all this has been going on, I realized a very good resolution word for the year would be perseverance. I think that needs to be the driving force to keep me on track and from getting overwhelmed. It's what got me through most of 2012.

Water

I had no idea how important the sound and look and feel of flowing water would be to my emotional health during my stint with my friend at Mayo Clinic. But fountains were everywhere and I spent a lot of time by them, finding healing and escape. Since returning home, I've been thinking about how I could depict the movement of water in my quilts.

I was particularly fascinated by the flow of water down the rock-face of the fountain at the Charlton Building - barely visible except for one spot where it rippled right to left over one of the stones. I've played around a bit with various configurations of lines in my sketchbook and think I may have hit upon a quilting design to mimic the effect.

I worked a bit on more organization of the studio the last few days. One side of the closet had two of those multi-peg hangers that I decided were the perfect place for my silk ties (looping them over a hanger has not been the best solution). As I sorted through and hung them up, I ran across these two which remind me of that right to left rippling of water. Do you see it or is it just me? No matter, these two have been set aside for my first water quilt.

Merry Modern Christmas

Sending you holiday greetings via a drawing app on my Kindle Fire, itself backed by a fake (projection) fire. Ahhh, the wonders of the modern age. Not the Christmas day I grew up with but pretty nice all the same. Hope yours is peaceful and blessed.

Looking for the Magic

While the majority of you are probably hustling with last minute holiday preparations, I finished what little I'd decided to do and went back to work on my half-square triangle quilt top. That required setting up the second banquet table as I needed more width on which to rest the top while I pinned the borders. However, I did not put the table on the bed risers yet - I kind of liked the stepped version for this part. As anticipated, I am liking the versatility of the two worktables rather than just one big one. However, I may have created yet another problem for myself: these tables are too thick for the clamps I use when layering quilts for basting. Suggestions anyone?

As for the quilt, isn't it beautiful? As much as I admire scrap quilts, especially the antique ones of which I own a few, I myself have made surprisingly few true scrap quilts. Must be that part of me demanding order and control. At any rate, I am very pleased with the way the many fabrics work together in this simple design. And if you think the borders are not the same size, your eyes do not deceive you. I should have figured a row or two more of the triangles to make this quilt come out a little closer to a conventional size. Instead, I just made the top and bottom borders 2 inches wider, which is not an unheard of solution in the antique quilt world. I'm still pondering the quilting.

As I was pressing the final seams, I suddenly remembered I hadn't thought much about backing fabric, and oh dear, I still have not fully unpacked the studio. My brain has not been the best at retrieving information lately but still, I started a mental search of my inventory of larger lengths of suitable fabric. Of course, I could always go with muslin, but I'm not altogether sure I even have that much muslin around. I do have a small stack of reproduction fabrics that had made it onto a shelf; I casually flipped through them for ideas. Not sure what exactly jogged this memory but suddenly I was pretty sure of a perfect solution and where to find it. I'd bought lots of yardage of a particular line that was the basis of St Hilary's Star, including a pink one that might go along with the pink in the piecing. I got that print in several colorways and you can see two of them laid out on the table in the forefront of the picture. Either would work well - I just have to decide which one to go with.

And in the process of finding them, I found my longer lengths of batiks, neatly stacked in the top of the large bin of totally unrelated fabrics and ufo's. That's them on the ironing board. I'd been wondering where I'd packed them and this might have been the last place I would have looked.

I guess this is where the "looking for magic" part comes in. I've been resisting both organizing as I unpack the studio as well as working in what's set up. I think it partly overwhelms and depresses me at the same time - still so much stuff and I have no clear plan of organization yet. I think I'm waiting for Tinkerbell or Cinderella's helpers to magically put everything in place for me. What I am discovering is that until I actually start working in the space, I won't find those solutions that will turn this into an efficient workspace. I had the same issues with the kitchen, but once I started really cooking in it, I could take a cue from where I automatically reached for something, and try out other configurations until I hit upon solutions that worked. Yesterday's session helped me see that one storage unit may need to be moved and that where I'd temporarily parked my basket of cutters and marking tools was in exactly the right spot. Guess I have to make my own magic.    

Pondering the Quilting

Save for a good pressing, the half-square triangle quilt is ready for borders which will be cut from the brown fabric. It may be some of the first reproduction fabrics that came on the market back in the 1990's. Do you remember Smithsonian's "Copp Family" antique quilt and the fabric line based on it? This brown floral is from that RJR Fashion Fabrics line.

In my experience, solving one technical problem in a quilt is just likely to lead to other problems later on. I decided early on to press all the seams open on this top to avoid the bulk that would otherwise crop up at these multi-seam intersections. I remember those kinds of seams causing problems during quilting. However, my default quilting strategy for an antique reproduction like this would be to stitch in the ditch. Oops - when you press seams open, you no long have a ditch to stitch in.

So as I stitched the rows together, I pondered just how I would machine quilt this top. And then I wondered how my readers might approach this problem. Do send me your ideas in the comment section. If I decide to use your suggestion, I'll send you a little something based on the leftovers from this project (which you may have to wait a bit to receive). Bear in mind that this is not a show quilt, nor an heirloom quilt, but a quilt I plan to use like a utility quilt so I'm thinking fairly basic quilting here. The squares are 3 inches and the border will probably be 8 inches wide. 

Snow!

This is what it looked like standing on my back deck Friday - our first real snow.

Such fat fat flakes that stacked up to about 4 inches of the white stuff. Maybe now I can get serious about Christmas!

Progress continues but slowly on the unpacking and sewing front. My tables arrived Monday - two 6 footers that fold in the middle that are easy for me to carry, set up and move around. They should give me lots of flexibility.

I know there are products out there specifically to raise the level of tables like these, but I'd spotted these bed risers at a local store so decided to see if they would do the trick. They raise the table slightly higher than my old work surface which I think is a good thing. Have yet to actually get out the mat and cutter to see if indeed it is a good working height. If not, can anyone suggest alternatives and where I can find them?

I've stolen an hour here and there to continue work on the half-square triangle quilt. I've found the fabric set aside for the borders and have about half of the rows joined to each other. This is a much slower process than sewing the units into rows as I must pin every intersection. Had I not pressed all the seams open, I probably could have gotten away with "nesting" the intersections without the need to pin. Or maybe not. I think when I get to quilting I will be glad I don't have all that bulk at the joins. Or maybe not...

Up and Running

When I fired up the old Viking, it hesitated, then took off in its usual reliable manner. I'd gotten all the half square triangle units arranged on the design wall and decided to set up a machine even though I still have much to unpack and arrange in the studio. Using the continuous piecing method of sewing down off the wall, I now have all the units into rows awaiting their seams to be pressed. I've ordered up some tables after all, realizing that my plan c of using a dining room table I already have would be insufficient for this very first project; need something longer for layout and cutting the borders that also has a surface not scratched by the safety pins I use for basting. I took a little time yesterday to move a few boxes out of the way and unpack two more to clear the way for their arrival on Monday. I'm surprisingly reluctant to make decisions about where to put the little things and a few storage units. I'm hoping that this space can be set up a little more logically and efficiently with things grouped better, but already I'm feeling a little defeated about that. Didn't want to just throw and toss but that's kind of what I'm doing with the hope I can better organize later. And I know how far off in the future "later" often is for a procrastination expert like me. I just divert to my happy place at the machine which hums along.

One Lucky Girl

If you know or know of Dijanne Cevaal, you should immediately recognize that the above pic shows her work, one of her Sentinelle quilts as well as a panel printed with the same design. She was having a blog giveaway, not letting on what that giveaway would be, and although many people signed up for it, I decided to take a chance and sign up too. I really did not think I had a chance at having my name pulled out of the hat, but looky looky, luck was with me. How lucky is this to have, not only one of her quilts, but that panel so that I can make a companion piece? Very lucky! And how perfect is this to have as guardians for my new home?

More Assembly Required

I decided to treat myself to a new chair for the new studio. I'd been getting by with a straight-back chair from my dining room set when I worked at my new machine. The space was so tight that I didn't have room to push the chair back anyway when getting up from the machine. The comfy office chair I've used for years remained in use with the older machine which is set in a table allowing more movement. Trust me, I spend more time at the new machine, and even with a cushion, that dining room chair got very uncomfortable.

I guess I was still planning on using that chair, but as my office space got smaller, requiring a space saving computer table, the studio space got a little bigger, allowing for a rolling office chair. Still, I may not have thought to follow up on that so soon had I not sat in this chair at Staples while waiting for them to bring the new computer desk out from the storeroom. Oh my - so comfy, and those arms are adjustable. I've always disliked arms on office chairs but I could see how this might make my machine quilting easier on my shoulders and back. Add that it was on sale and, as the assembly instructions declared, "Behold!" - I now have an inviting place to park myself in front of the machine or the computer.  I could have had the Staples guy put it together for a few dollars more, but I'm pinching pennies these days. Besides, I actually enjoy getting out tools, studying instructions and tackling assembly.

As to how soon I'll actually use this chair in the studio, it may be pretty soon. I've finished arranging all 360 half-square triangle units on the design wall and can start sewing then into rows...once I unpack a machine. Yesterday I emptied another box, one with my lamps and irons, power strips and daylight bulbs for the overhead fixture (and lots of other things I'm not sure just where to put yet). I'd say I'm just about ready to begin, even if I don't have a work table set up yet.

Taking Shape

Packing is an art, I mused, as I filled box after box preparing for my move. And being an artist who enjoys challenges and puzzles not to mention organizing, I should be good at this. I'd saved some of the boxes from previous moves and was amused to find many labeled for the studio. Yes, I could pack very much as I had the last few moves in the very same boxes. The strategy included as much logic as possible so that things would be easier to locate on the other end, but as with any good puzzle, I found myself throwing out logic and organization to find odd pieces to fit odd spaces as the boxes filled up. And then my memory failed me as I struggled to remember what was in the bottom of the box once I was ready to close it up and label it. In many cases, my cryptic notations left me scratching my head as the movers asked where some of these boxes needed to go in the new place. So much for organization.

Suffice it to say, I arrived in my new digs with the unsettling realization I literally knew not where to put my finger to locate many of my belongings. It's been one surprise after another as I've gone on searches or randomly opened boxes or drawers. Oh look! So THAT'S where I stashed my pincushions and more...I really have no recollection of doing that.

This week has seen a lot of shoving and shuffling of furniture, boxes and bins in the new studio as I try to get it to the point where I can start some work. And my brain could not remember just where I stashed the batiks I bought in Rochester, one of which I want to use as background to the first piece I thought I wanted to start on. Yesterday, I shifted a bin and look - I found the box in question quite by accident. Am blanking on what the "triangle cutoff's project" is, though.

But while I am supposed to be focused on setting up the studio and starting that new art piece, this is what I paused to do instead. You may remember the hundreds of half-square triangle units I've prepared off and on over the years (see this post and this one for the technique), finally reaching the total I needed to piece together a reproduction quilt top in, oh my...2010. The shoebox where those units reside was one of the first things to take up residence on a closet shelf. It has been shouting rather loudly at me ever since I got the flannel up for my design wall. Hey - you gotta start somewhere, and this has been a nice warm-up to getting back into designing and creating. Now, if I just get a machine set up...