Deeper water

Nothing beckons more on a hot hot day than a pool of shimmering water. Much as I would like to jump right on in, I hesitate. More likely to sink than swim. Same with quilting. Six sandwiches but no quilting. Not yet. I'm in the pool but head out of the water and feet on the bottom.

After seven workshop weeks with Nancy Crow, I feel better about design & composition, color choices and piecing skills. Fine and good if I were only making quilt tops, but developmentally lopsided. What if I made a masterpiece today? Unlikely though that may be. I'd be totally stymied by underdeveloped techniques, a plethora of choices and a lack of confidence.  



I'm working on this lopsidedness. First: the sandwiches. Then choices: thread, quilting lines, and fmq. Where to start? Which sandwich first? Daunting challenges!



Focus and choose. I'm starting with the very first quilt top I ever made – the one that catapulted me into this quilting adventure three years ago. It's the largest one dimensionally of the six sandwiches. No heavy quilting at least. It'd be a lap quilt. But thread? Quilting lines? Walking foot or free motion? 

Just choose. Let go of perfectionism. Wabi-sabi. I'm making my way toward deeper waters.

Sandwiches

Been making sandwiches. Don't salivate yet. Not for eating - for quilting.

Six tops. Pressed & measured. Backs & batting. Sandwiched & pin basted. Vamoosed the pins after re-basting with water soluable thread. An assembly line.

Gathered and put away tools and supplies once. Cleared design wall and worktable once. Cleanup is always a B I G deal.

Et voilà! A new milestone. Six sandwiches to go. Got things done. I like that. Threads and stitches next.

Architectural inspirations

This multi-story building is under construction and has changed the Oakland skyline. I see it from the freeway nearly every day. I can even see it when I'm at the gym a mile away.

Located not far from the San Andreas fault, the new Kaiser Hospital will have lots of structural bracing. Reminds me of Colleen's quilt, Looking Through The Lens.  

Two more views of the skeletal structure. Inspirations for lines shapes motifs colors and compositions.

Changed and trimmed

I left it this piece from the recent workshop on the design wall.  

With a little distance and after many viewings, I see some room for improvements. A few changes and some trimming. Now it's really ready for quilting.

No fooling

I got my income tax returns done today. Really! No April's fool!

You usually hear a lot of moaning from me this time of year. I've taken a more positive stance. Be more adult 'cuz crying doesn’t help.

So for the past week I’ve hunkered down with receipts, spreadsheets, 1098s, 1099s, schedule. I pulled it all together for my appointment with the accountant this morning. Whew! That’s done! Now let’s get back to art!