Busy, busy, busy...

Although I haven't been in the blog scene for a few weeks, I have certainly not been idle. 

I had the extreme pleasure of spending time with my grandson while my

daughter and her husband were on the east coast for 2 weeks.

This little one was my constant companion for 2 days.

I miss him and wish they would all move back to the area.

I also spent time completing my second Marcia Derse quilt.

Just finished putting the borders on yesterday and delivered it to the store in the afternoon.

I also got to spend an afternoon with a my friend, Anne, of Orange Crumpled Napkin.

We were both working on our CQ blocks. 

This block of mine will be in the center of a 9 block wall hanging that I am

working on for the CQJP 2013. This is my first experience with the satin stitch. I was actually surprised at how tedious it is to get every entry and exit of the thread just right. When I was finished this part, I noticed one place where I could have added another stitch, but I'm not going to worry about it now.

These are the Japanese symbols for peace.

For most of my life, I have had one word that I cling to. A word that, when needed, brings me back to center when I am tottering. Balance was my word for almost 30 years. Now, it is

peace.

When I was going through all my batiks and cutting a 2 1/2" strip from each for my giveaways,  I made a pile of scraps and fat quarters. I had fun making these two 16" pillows. Other than the scraps, I only needed one FQ for the front and one for the back. They were pretty quick and easy.

Now that things have calmed down a bit with my schedule, I made a list of all the things I need to get done. Wow! The list is way too long.

Better get started...Happy sewing!

Stay tuned! Another giveaway coming up......

What are the odds?

So, here's a story.

Last week, a blogger friend and I both had a giveaway. 

Yesterday, I found out that I had won hers.

Today, she finds out that she won mine.

Seriously, what are the odds?

....and I don't think I've ever won anything in my life!

Anne, of Orange Crumpled Napkin, you are the winner of the

28  2 1/2" batiks strips.

Onto playtime with  new Marcia Derse fabric: nouveau chic and necessities...

plus some of the Line 5 collection...

and I'm excited!

Off to teach and then home to play!

Have a wonderful Sunday...

Quilt Raffle

QUILT RAFFLE

100% cotton Marcia Derse fabric from her "Line 5" collection

Twin quilt 66" x 95"

Machine quilted by The Meandering Fox

The Story

Denis and Judy Asselin have been friends of our family for over 15 years. Their son, Nathaniel, at age 11, was diagnosed with BDD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

For more than half of his life, Nathaniel struggled with a brain disorder that made almost every day a test of his strength, courage and stamina. He fought valiantly to circumvent the illness, keeping it hidden  from most people. Nathaniel took his own life at age 24.

The story of Denis and Judy's struggle to heal can be found 

here.

I have donated this quilt in order to raise awareness of BDD and to generate funds for desperately needed research. By finding better treatment, we can offer to others the hope that Nathaniel needed and so richly deserved.

What You Can Do

1. Donate by purchasing a raffle ticket HERE .

2. Please share this site on your blog:   http://walkingwithnathaniel.org/

3. Consider an email blast encouraging all of your friends and family to donate just $5.00
4. Post a link on your Facebook :)

The winner of the quilt will be drawn on December 18th, 2012 and will be notified by email.

100% of the proceeds will go to BDD awareness and research administered by the International OCD Foundation in Boston, MA !

Many Many Thanks!

...to commence

The verb...to commence: to start or begin; come or cause to come into being

The poet, Rilke, wrote that "...to commence is ever in itself a beautiful thing."

For me, those very first steps of the creative process are so incredibly charged with energy and emotion. The initial idea, the planning, the gathering....I absolutely love it. I love the first sketch on the canvas and the first piece of paper applied. Those moments are so full of wonder and mystery. I am challenged and motivated. I love the simple task of washing and folding the fabrics I have chosen for a quilt, the measuring, cutting, and constructing. I love looking at the cut fabrics neatly stacked by my machine ready to sew. So often, somewhere between these charming moments and the completion of a piece, I seem to get thrown back to the very beginnings again by a new idea that has burst into my head. I feel drawn involuntarily into the cycle again, mulling over the new idea, dreaming about it, planning and gathering again...and again...and again.

Endings...completions...can be beautiful as well. For me, they are certainly not as charged, nor are they as fulfilling. There is a sense of emptiness, a letting go, the curtain falls. It's done. It's over. It leaves a little void that sends me rushing to another beginning.

I purchased the fabric for a pillowcase for my daughter last summer. She loves owls. I wanted to surprise her. She was ridiculously excited when I brought it home. It has been sitting on my sewing table. Three days ago, I put it together. Wow...I waited months for something that literally takes minutes, but she is very happy.

Cloth and Bobbin (clothandbobbin.com/)(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cloth-Bobbin/58537381401) just got in some of the Marcia Derse collection called "Line 5." Of course, I had a really strong reaction the moment I saw it. The colors are a tad desaturated and the designs are simple and soft geometrics. I have those first ideas, but they may change as I go along.

Here is my "Star and Stripes" quilt. I was in the store showing the quilt to Johanna, and fiber artist, Cindy Friedman (http://www.cindyfriedman.com/dev/) happened to be there. As we were talking about the quilt, my thoughts and ideas about it, I mentioned that I might add some stripes here or there, and she simply said, "You have to know when a piece is done."

Like most of my days, February will be filled with beginnings and ending. I want to find a passion for concluding. I want to unearth the artistry and value of it. I want to watch the boxes get emptied and the piles diminish. Somehow, in this endeavor, I hope to bring each project to a new beginning that is recharged with fresh potential.