I am finding it very hard to believe that it's the end of March already - a full month since I last blogged about my creative pursuits and thoughts about them. It seems I have only been able to keep my resolution to blog every week for the first two months of this year, but I am resolved that I will pick myself up by my bootstraps (whatever those are!) and get back on track. Writing about my work helps me keep track of what I've done and where I'm going. So does the notebook I keep - as is seen in photo above. Every month I make a list of my goals for that month, and then as I complete them, I cross them off with a red pen and write "completed". Some months I'm only able to cross off two or three of the items, but this was a pretty good month, with only one item that will be carried forward into April. I also make an annual list of "Quilts under construction" and "Quilts I'd like to make". And another list for my creative goals for the year. I've been doing this for six years now, and I find it really helps me stay on track and less likely to fly off "madly in all directions".
You may remember that at the beginning of the year I made another resolution - to make a small "luggage tag" creation every week, limiting myself to using only the scraps that accumulate in my rubbish bin that week. The tags are another means of giving me a sense of where I've been and what I've been doing. One thing is abundantly clear to me at this point - that my love affair with bright saturated colours shows absolutely no signs of abating! I have bought a couple of marvellous books lately on natural dyeing and slow stitching using more earthy-coloured fabrics (Eco Colour by India Flint and Natural Processes in Textile Art by Alice Fox), but my own work seems to reside at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Also at the beginning of the year, I began making small improvisational tiny works, and I now have 24 of these. Recently I added grey print borders to the sides of each, and I like the way this sets them apart from each other. I think of this as my "Turning 65 Quilt", and plan to make a total of 65 blocks in total, before layering it and quilting it. So while I haven't been writing about it, I have certainly been happily stitching. I must say that I'm very glad to be back in my own home and getting into my own routines again after a fall and winter spent mostly away from home. Thanks for dropping by, and especially to those of you who take the time to add your comments. Happy quilting everyone!
