Projects and Plans

The grandchildren are still in town, so we have had a couple of additional visits and hope to have two more before they fly back home. Grandpa wants to fish with them, again, and have their catch for lunch, if possible. We were able to meet up with many family members for lunch and a visit to a petting zoo (at the restaurant complex), where the kids got to feed the goats and llamas. A trip to the regular zoo, which has been put off twice due to the weather, looks like it will finally happen.

Our own yard continues to provide constant sightings of a variety of wildlife. The fledgling birds are beginning to learn to eat seeds. The new generation of squirrels is fighting over territory, and I am learning more about the way various species communicate.

On another note, I am carrying on with writing my mother's story. Earlier this year, one of my cousins' children gave me a wonderful gift. She had been sending me pictures from her mother's collection and included two of my maternal great-grandmother. Since I had heard stories about her sitting in her rocking chair and greeting the children but had never seen a picture of her, I was overwhelmed not only to see her for the first time, but also to have a picture of her in that chair.

I am persisting in my work on the studio, too. The new project cases are set up, and I have been putting away fabric that had been stashed for a project that changed. Some of the pieces I hadn't seen in years, and I am delighted with how beautiful they are. My hope is to be done sorting things out by the end of this month so that I can get to work on Christmas gifts.

I hope you enjoy the season and, as always . . .

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Sprung into an Empty Nest

The last month and a half have been surprisingly busy. Our youngest decided he was ready to move out. The move was accomplished by the middle of this month, though he still has a few things here that he needs to clear out. Once that is finished, we will be remaking his room into my new studio, and my current studio will become a dedicated guest room. It means I will, hopefully, finally be able to have all of my studio tools in one place, though some materials will need to be stored elsewhere.

In addition, he and his fiance have finally set the date for their wedding - in June of this year. That brings another set of challenges. Obviously, there is the scramble to get all of the details taken care of, but I have not had to be involved in most of that beyond giving advice, especially on where to find information. However, I do need to find an outfit, and prepare our home for guests! Our older son and his family will be traveling back to town for the wedding and a short vacation. They will be staying here part of that time. As mother of the groom, of course, my outfit is supposed to complement that of the mother of the bride.

In addition, the grandchildren will be staying for the summer with their other grandparents. That means we will be able to spend more time with them over the couple of months following the wedding. So, I have been trying to plan things we can do with them that they will enjoy.

In the meantime, spring has been starting to make an appearance here. Our forsythias have begun to bloom, as have the hyacinths and daffodils. The lilacs are budding, and the grackles have arrived en masse. We have been talking about what to plant in the garden and are adjusting to being empty-nesters.

All told, it hasn't left much time for working in the studio, though I have done some organizing in preparation for the move to the other room, and while I have been working on my book, I haven't taken time out to blog. It may be hit and miss here for a while, for which I apologize in advance. I hope you will continue to check in, and I will try to get back to a normal schedule as soon as possible.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Inspiring Creativity

It has been hard to get myself into the studio lately. While I have made a few forays, looking over potential projects, I haven't spent much time there. In some ways, I have been experiencing creative burnout. Alisa Burke has a helpful post about the issue: Coping with Creative Burnout. Some of the things I have been doing correspond to actions she discusses, like focusing on something different and having fun.

I have been spending a lot of time with family, as well as researching and writing the book I've been working on. Trips out to local nature areas are sure to provide inspiration for future work, too. Fall has certainly arrived and is making its mark on the foliage, albeit slowly. 

Another way to look at things came up just yesterday and today with two references to the "which dog are you feeding?" story. The first was in the new movie, Tomorrowland, which we watched last night. The second is in Roz Stendahl's blog post: Which Dog Are You Feeding? While the movie uses the story to attempt to redirect our attitudes towards making changes for the health of the planet, Roz uses it as a tool for achieving artistic goals. In both cases, of course, the story is about looking at things in a positive light. Roz's idea was a revelation, however, and something I will need to think more about. Inspiration, it would seem, is coming from unexpected areas.

I'm off to think, enjoy life, and see what's next. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good things.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Surprises & Milestones

We had a short vacation, which allowed us to go to some local preserves. It was special to see not only summer vegetation, egrets and a family of ducks, but also a pair of swans.

On another note, while doing research for a book I am writing, I read a book called Quilts in the Attic: Uncovering the Stories of the Quilts We Love by Karen S. Musgrave ((c) 2012 Voyageur Press (c) 2012 Text Karen Musgrave; MBI Publishing Co., Minneapolis, MN). There was a chapter on Ruby Short McKim, who designed quilts for the Kansas City Star, among other things. Today, her granddaughter, Merrily McKim Tuohey, maintains a website dedicated to her grandmother's work: McKIM TUOHEY STUDIO, and one with Ruby's entire 1931 book: 101 Patchwork Patterns. I thought you might enjoy having the links.

The other thing that I have been doing is sorting through craft supplies to pull out things I will probably not use. Now, I have to decide what to do with them.

To my surprise, too, I discovered this is my 100th blog post. It seems like a milestone that should be recognized. Perhaps it is enough to know that it is and see where that takes me.

Until next time, I wish you happy surprises, peace and all good.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Artist's Voice

A couple of my friends recently moved, downsizing in the process, which reminded me of my need to declutter and reduce my possessions. My hope is that, when my husband retires, we will be able to downsize, too, but right now we have too much stuff for a smaller house. In light of that, I was intrigued by a method I saw demonstrated recently and the book written by its inventor: Marie Kondo: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. While I don't agree with some of her recommendations, I do believe her method of sorting through one's possessions warrants a try. So, I borrowed her book from the library and plan to attempt the process. (Thankfully, she states that doing it "quickly means about half a year.")

As part of my work on getting ready to set up a shop, I have also been thinking about what success looks like to me. I finally came to the conclusion that it encompasses three things: creativity, a flexible schedule, and supplemental income. Since I have health issues that are exacerbated by stress, it is crucial that I maintain a calm atmosphere and not try to do too much. To that end, I realized that I need to limit my work on the business to part-time. While that means I cannot do as much, it also means I have time to explore other interests and be available to my family as needed. (For example, I am also doing research for a book I want to write.)

I also recently purchased a copy of The Worldwide History of Dress as a reference book for clothing styles throughout the world. While it does not have quite as many examples of contemporary clothing as I had hoped, it gives details about many cultures that I know little to nothing about. For that reason, it is probably even more critical to my work, since I want my artwork to incorporate a global vision. Incorporating that vision is part of my artistic voice. Leni Levinson Wiener had an insightful post on weallsew.com this week about the artist's voice and how to find it. Though I have been creating for a lot of years, I have only just begun that work. 

What I do know is that I want to highlight the similarities between people around the world and my belief that we need to think more about how our actions impact everything on this planet we call home. That is part of the reason I want to downsize. I believe we use more of the planet's resources than is healthy for the planet and that people in many other countries aren't able to use enough, both for their own comfort and the health of the planet. It is also part of the reason I am a proponent of simple living.

I am looking forward to enjoying the simple pleasures of spring.

I wish you simple pleasures.

Peace.

Setting up a Schedule

I've been spending a lot of time in recent weeks trying to work out a manageable schedule. In addition to deciding how much time to allot for each of the things I want to accomplish, I have also been trying to come up with a direction for my activities. Sometime, soon, I hope to have a survey available for your input about some of the decisions.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few of the things we have been enjoying the last couple of weeks.

A lot of these . . .

A few of these . . .

and even a pair of these . . .

Until next time, I wish you, always . . .

Peace and all good

Creating from the Heart

The events of the last month, including the snow and cold, forced me to slow down and take some time to think about things.

 

Snow - Day 1

Snow - Day 2

Like many of you, I find myself contemplating the events of the last year and making plans for the new one. In addition to other things, 2014 needs to be a major decision year for me with regards to direction of the business. By next year this time, I need to have decided whether or not to continue because of certain actions that need to be taken then.

This post at pomegranatesandpaper really spoke to the kinds of feelings I've been having about the process this time. I find I need to step back from the push to create for the market and do more to create from my heart. Whether I will end up spending more time in the studio or less remains to be seen. I plan to work on a number of things in 2014, including gifts, my book, downsizing the stuff I own, and experimenting with techniques. As often as possible, I plan to share my progress with you.

After making the quilt and quilt top I showed you in November, I pushed forward on three additional gifts. None of them was completed in time, though I showed pictures of their progress to their recipients. So, I can show you, too.

 

This is a Mill Hill Pin Whimsy kit, called "Dazzling Dragonfly."

 

This table runner, which has not yet had that border attached, let alone the binding, is from a kit by Sally Holzem, called "Tuscan Nights." I did alter the border strips. 

 

 

Finally, this table runner is my own design. I'm currently working on the quilting. I am using a variegated thread and hope it will help the border to blend more with the center panel. There were also two pot holders that go with it, but I did not get a picture of them.

 

 

In hopes of giving you a little something to smile about, I'd also like to share this portrait of a little fellow who was enterprising in his search for food he knew was hiding on our patio.

 

 

Wishing you peace and all good.

 



Strawberry Jazz Festival & More

It has been a fairly quiet month around here, though that doesn't mean it hasn't been busy. I have been spending much of my time recently doing research for a book I am working on. It means I am on the computer a lot and not spending much time in the studio. I did get out to the Strawberry Jazz Festival, though the weather that day was quite cold. They have a variety of musicians, vendors, and organizations represented each year, and the grounds are lovely.

One of my friends, an artist who was a vendor at the event, designed a line of fabric with In The Beginning Fabrics that will be coming out in December. You can see more of her work at
http://www.mooncookiegallery.com/.

I also wanted to remind everyone that time is running out to donate Priority Quilts to the Alzheimers Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). Michele Bilyeu has a great reminder about that and information on other ways you can still help.

September

I have always felt a sense of new beginnings with the coming of September, fall, and the start of the new school year. Even though I have no children in school any more, I find it is still the case. And so, I find myself ready to begin anew.

As a first step, I revamped my "schedule." While it is arbitrary, since I need only be concerned with how my actions affect my immediate family members still living with me, I find it a relief to be able to decide on my activities for the day based on a framework. Part of my decisions, too, have involved how active I plan to be in the studio. I have not come to any conclusions about distribution of my artwork, but know that I will be making time for creation on a daily basis.

One thing that helped me was taking a complete break from any artwork. It helped that my husband was on vacation, too. By the end of the time, I found myself anxious to pick up something creative to work on, though I did not eliminate photography from my activities.

We made a short trip to visit Geneva, Illinois, which allowed me to visit both the Fabyn Japanese Garden and the Geneva History Center (Geneva Museums). At the History Center, I was able to view the traveling exhibit "A Celebration of Rural America." It will be there through October. A collection of artwork from the 1920s and 1930s by Regionalist artists, it was inspirational.

 

The Japanese Garden is suffering the effects of the drought, but was still beautiful. It also provided some inspiration, which I expect will show up in some of my future work.

I am continuing my research of the 20th century, and have found myself also exploring some of the history of the 19th century, especially as it affected immigration to the United States. One of the things that strikes me is the change in what and how much Americans, in particular, feel is necessary to a good life. This reflects my concern with sustainability, of course, and will, no doubt, result in output either in artwork or writing.

And so, I am off to explore all these things. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Dreaming

It seems a barrier has been crossed. This week I had several vivid dreams of projects I want to do. One is a quilt series. Another was the beginning of a story, made even more incredible by the fact that it is in a genre that I have never considered working in before. Altogether, the fact that I am dreaming vividly and remembering the dreams is a reminder that I have attained access to an area of creativity that had been out of reach for a while.

Another thing I was able to do this week was go through a few of the items in my studio to weed out some of the things I will no longer use or which no longer interest me. The journey I have been making towards discerning my direction really helped with that, as I found it much simpler to distinguish whether or not something would help me towards my goals.

On another note, according to a report I heard today, the weather is five weeks ahead of schedule. The birds are all in spring plumage. I was lucky enough to catch one of the grackles in his glory this last week.

We have also been visited by cardinals, robins, sparrows, black-capped chickadees, and a red-winged blackbird, among others. Simultaneously, the apricots, forsythias, daffodils, and hyacinths are blooming, and the lilacs are beginning to set their flowers. It is all quite amazing, if rather scary, especially in light of the fact that the southwest and west are currently experiencing winter weather and heavy snow storms.

It has given me much to think about and will, undoubtedly, be incorporated into my artwork, at some point. For now, I am still slowly moving towards greater productivity and enjoying the creative process.

Until next time, I will you peace and all good.

Busy Times

It has been fairly busy around here the last month. I have been gradually getting involved, again, in social justice work, in addition to working on Christmas gifts and continuing my involvement with the Friends of the GSU Library. I have reconnected with an outreach group that helps to provide food, clothing, and household necessities to poor people in my area. I, also, had the opportunity to reconnect with the Peace and Social Justice group at Pax Joliet.

Something I don't believe I have mentioned before is that I am also a Secular Franciscan. I can hear you asking, "What in the world is a Secular Franciscan?" In the early years of the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi established three Orders. They were the Friars Minor, Poor Clares, and the Third Order. The Third Order was originally known as the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. Over the intervening centuries, there have been many changes, of course. One of those changes is that there are now what are called "regular" and "secular" Third Orders. The "regular" are priests and nuns. The "secular" are lay people. Therefore, as a Secular Franciscan, I am a lay person attempting to follow Christ in the manner of St. Francis. You can find out more about the U.S. Secular Franciscans at NAFRA. We are, also, part of the international Order. You can find more information about that at CIOFS. These Franciscans are Catholic. However, there are also Franciscans who are affiliated with other churches. You can find out more about that here: Order of Ecumenical Franciscans.

One of the things I did recently was go to several craft/artisan fairs. They generally serve to inspire me, and I occasionally come across some wonderful artists. Unfortunately, some of the artists whose work I would like to share with you are not on the Internet. There are a few I can share, though. The Posh Kid Boutique does not have very much on her Etsy site, but has wonderful satin flowers along the lines of the one shown. Moon Cookie Gallery has delightfully whimsical watercolors, and Amy Simpson makes beautiful fused glass pieces.

Another thing I have been doing is research for a book I am writing. It is an historical fiction piece, set in the 20th century. Since it follows the life of a woman who was born in the early decades of the century and died near the close of it, my research has to cover a lot of information.

I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have been given, and happy to be able to share some of what I have found with you.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

New Life

I am now, officially, "retired" from the day job. This last month has been extremely hectic, between making sure everything was done at work and preparing for the youngest's graduation party. (For some reason, I scheduled that for the day after I "retired." Crazy!) Fortunately, I now have an opportunity to do some things I have been wanting to do for years.

I did take the time before the end of last month to do a quick set of sketches for the Sketchbook Challenge.The theme for the month was "Pathways," which put me in mind of those opening up to me. Here is the final piece.

Colored pencil, micro pen, computer manipulation.

My daughter has already asked me to consider joining her at a show in September, and we are finally trying to schedule time with one of my brothers, who is also an artist, to finish work on a children's book that has been in limbo for years. Since those are only two of the many projects I have up in the air right now, I don't expect my life to be quiet for long. I do hope to be able to build a rhythm into my days -- or at least my weeks!

For now, wishing you peace and all good.

Changes, Changes, Changes

Sorry I've been quiet for so long, but things have been a bit harried around here. Since I last posted, my older son and his family moved into their new digs, he started that new job, and we have only had phone connections with them. It means I have spent a number of evenings on the phone either talking with my son or on speaker-phone talking with all of them. Even though we can't see the babies, hearing them clapping at the sound of our voices is priceless!

Last Saturday, my younger son/youngest child graduated from college. The day was raw, more like being at a football tailgate party than a college commencement in May, but well worth the effort in sheer joy of the experience. Our kids have all made us extremely proud by their tenacious efforts to acquire their degrees and do what they are called to do with their lives.

In addition, I realized this last week that I am down to about five weeks before I retire from the day job. Finishing projects and cleaning out my office have become the constant in my life. Unfortunately, it leaves me extremely tired at the end of the day, and since weekends have not been free to create, I have not been getting into the studio much.

I have, however, been doing a little editing of some stories, planning for an open mic with a writers group I belong to, beginning to think about the garden, and brainstorming the designs to finish a quilt for a Friends of the Library group.

We did have another unusual visitor to our neighbor's yard recently. Very often, in the summer, we have had a pair of ducks come to our yard. This time it was one duck of a different breed, who allowed me to get fairly close - as if she wanted to make sure I got her picture.

Until next time, I wish you peace . . . .

Changes

The computer is back up and running, but we had to switch to the new Windows. It has created some problems for me since blogger hasn't caught up to it, yet. I am hopeful that I will be able to post normally, however. So, here is an update on what has happened in the last three weeks.

First and foremost, our grandbabies' daddy has accepted a new job. They are in the process of driving cross-country to their new home.It is a wonderful opportunity for him in an area of the country where he has wanted to live for years. It has left those of us still here rather bereft, but extremely grateful for the Internet. Thankfully, before they started their journey, we were able to spend a day with them and the babies were in good moods. I had, also, completed the quilts. So, the babies were able to get those to take with them. My intention is that they be able to use them as drag-along/comfort blankets.

As I mentioned before, my younger son (and youngest child) will be graduating from college next month, which leaves me hoping he is able to find a job in his field and begin his adult life. In the meantime, I am getting closer to retirement from my day job and beginning to wear the retiree's grin. There are so many things I want to be able to do. We'll see how many of them I actually get to after I have an additional 45 hours a week.

I have been going through my stack of UFO's, trying to decide what I still have an interest in completing. I've also been contemplating directions for my art, writing, and possible volunteer work. At the same time, I haven't forgotten the Sketchbook Challenge. Ideas percolate in the back of my mind, but I haven't yet put anything together for this month's prompt.

It appears I cannot add any images to my post this time. As with the other difficulties I have been having, I hope this is resolved, soon.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Plans for a New Year

The new year is almost upon us. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this year will bring a number of changes. One significant change is that, in July, I will be "retiring" from my current day job. It is my plan to expand my artistic pursuits and build The Butterfly Bush business. I also plan to do more social justice work and writing, again. All quite exciting and scary. I am reminded of dreams I used to have about stepping off tall buildings, with the accompanying fear, only to find I could fly. I hope you will continue to check in with me to see my progress, as well as give me feedback on it.


The babies and their parents saw the quilts (still in process) at our family Christmas celebration. So, I feel I can share them, now. Mykaela was quite interested in the bright colors of hers, and Kaden was content to be with Mama and take everything in. Obviously, there is still a little work to be done on each of them, but they will get them in time to make them "dragging around blankets."

Mykaela's quilt

Kaden's quilt

Now, too, I will be able to move on to other creative pursuits. I will be spending this week (blessed holiday break time from the day job) in my studio, experimenting with techniques, and getting organized for the new year. On January 1, I will begin participating in the Sketchbook Challenge. (The button for it is on the right.) It looks like a lot of fun, with some super artists leading the way. Check them out.

• Jill Berry
• Sue Bleiweiss
• Laura Cater-Woods
• Jane Davies
• Jamie Fingal
• Judi Hurwitt
• Leslie Tucker Jenison
• Lyric Kinard
• Jane LaFazio
• Kelli Perkins
• Carol Sloan
• Carla Sonheim
• Susan Sorrell
• Melanie Testa
• Diana Trout
• Violette

It seems like the perfect way to charge up the creative juices and explore new techniques. I hope you will check it out and join in.

Finally, I plan to post more often. Unfortunately, the silence of the last few weeks was unavoidable, but I am planning to post once a week in the new year.

Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.