A New Beginning

Well, I may be late to the party, but Happy New Year to everyone! This is what my backyard looked like on Jan. 1st (this photo is taken in colour, not B & W, as you might think), which only encouraged me to snuggle up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate and to take a good long nap. This didn't improve much when one after another winter rain storms slammed into our little peninsula. The wind blows up Georgia Strait and can be quite impressive by the time it reaches us. When it didn't show much sign of improving, I ran away to my cabin on Hornby Island, with my daughter Jess, and holed up there for

a few blissful days. The other thing I did - a much more positive reaction, you might think - was to complete this quilt top. It's called A New Beginning, and measure 37" X 37". There's nothing like rich, saturated colour as a remedy for dark and grey. And when I finished that, I still had some scraps left over, so I made the 12" X 12" piece below. I've read all sorts of posts about peoples' goals for the coming year, and words for the year, and I have decided on one and one alone for myself - that I will do the work and make the quilts that are in me to make. I have spent a lot of time over the last 6 years making quilts that are for patterns or for class samples, even for specific shows. But this year I am going to make quilts that have been crying out to be made. I'm going to listen to those small voices that come from

deep within me, and sing the song they've given me to sing. In that vein, and to give me a jump-start, I have signed up for a 10-week online course with Lisa Call - Working in a Series. The topic for this series is being narrowed down from a "Warehouse of Ideas", and I'm truly excited to see what it will be. Any of the 4 top picks I've selected appeal to me for different reasons. I"ll let you know how things develop in future posts. In the meantime, may each of you have a wonderful year to come, and may creativity abound no matter what your undertakings.