BEND

Bend is finished!
Turned it in for the MCQG member challenge last night.
I had all but the paperwork done when I arrived at the meeting.
Deadline met!

So to catch you up since the last post, or the original post here is a photo summary of all that's happened:

And finally...

So, if you happen to be in West Palm Beach in early November, swing by the World Quilt Show Florida IV (Mancuso) you'll be able to see Bend hanging with the Martin County Quilters Member Challenge Exhibit!

Strong Roots - Art Deco

Some days I surprise myself, and today was one of those days!

It was just yesterday that I posted my Journeys Thru Art Impressionism project.  Yes, just over 24 hours ago!  And you remember me saying how I hate Art Deco and I didn't even want to work on it until the end  *laughing loudly* not only did I think about working on it, I drew it out and finished the block construction today!

I was going to spend today quilting on a customer quilt, but it was a rough attention day... I was truly bouncing all over the place.  So I did nothing, putzed... all morning, into early afternoon.  Well while I was eating lunch I doodled out my Art Deco block.  Wow, that worked out.  After lunch I was quite rammy (from too much putzing - also known as boredom), and getting cranky (sounds like a toddler I know, but its true).  So I put all that aggravated energy to good use... I started my Art Deco block.  I figured why waste the crankies?!!  I told myself, I'm already in a rotten mood, get on with it and do what you don't feel like doing!

And bam, it was done!   I don't even have pictures of the process because it happened so fast -- I was on a serious roll and wasn't stopping!

It's not yet quilted and still needs to be trimmed to size, but it is created!

To keep with my previous JTA post, here is the brief lesson on Art Deco:

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/artdeco/artdeco.htm

Art Deco is a decorative style that is essentially an extension of the French Art Nouveau and English Aesthetic styles, but also includes elements of Arts and Crafts form. Some historians claim that because of its eclectic borrowing from so many sources, it should not be identified as a distinct style. Yet it has enjoyed recurrent popularity, and has contributed to later stylistic developments. The term Art Deco is used to describe a design style that originates around World War I, and runs through to World War II (c. 1915-1945).

The style emphasizes surface embellishment, drawing heavily on the colors and styles of some of the early modern art movements, from Impressionism through Cubism. Like many of the modern art styles, it was inspired by Chinese and Japanese art, both of which were popular during this period.

Only two more to go!!!  Perhaps next weekend?  I can't wait to share them all hanging next to each other - that should be pretty cool!  But that won't happen until after they are quilted and bindings are on.  Soon, very soon!

Clogged Creativity...

Do you ever feel like you have tons of creativity just below the surface.  It's there, you just can't access it, almost like its clogged -- just like a drain.  Everyday life is just sitting there like the water stuck in the sink, not moving, just containing the creativity so that it can't flow.  Customer quilts that need to be quilted, phones calls that won't stop ringing, emails waiting (sometimes for far too long), laundry piled up to the ceiling, insurances that need to be quoted, bills needing to be paid, taxes that need organizing, schedules that need updating, dog goobers on the wall (how the hell did that get there), dust bunnies so big you should be charging them rent, and don't even get me started on the unknowns in the back of the frig -- you know, every day life.  Don't look so shocked, you too have these issues, they may differ slightly, but they are the same issues.

Creativity gets clogged by all that crap!

In the back of my mind (similar to the frig) are old ideas that never got seized, new ideas floating and wondering if they will ever be born.  All over the house are notebooks, in almost every room -- FULL of ideas, sketches, doodles, words, thoughts... creativity in some form or another.  What I need to find is the balance between everyday life and the creativity.  I need a day with Drain-o... just to move the clog at a schedule time and let the creativity flow.  I also need an assistant... not for the creativity, one that I can leave all this cleaning, phone calling, and organization to.  We know that's not happening anytime soon -- besides, I'm a nut (really) and suffer from anxiety so if anyone tries to move my stuff, palpitations... okay, that's another post, another day -- and no, you will not see me on an episode of Hoarders.  They secretly created that show to keep people like me in line so that we never cross over!

But back to the creativity clog... I am making a serious attempt to finish all my UFOs that are laying around the house.  This is partially due to the clog, and also due to the fact that I am becoming a quilting snob.  I no longer want to follow commercial patterns, I only want to do my own stuff -- I know, wow, come back down to earth sweetie, the airs a little thin up there!  But seriously, I want to do more competition pieces and you really need to have your own stuff, or at least elaborate on a pattern of some sort.  See, told you... SNOB!  This doesn't mean I'll never buy another pattern, I have a long (very long) list of patterns I'd still like to make, just not right now -- going through this snobbish phase.  And I honestly think that by clearing out all these UFOs it will make room (mentally and physically) for new creativity to bloom - or at least that's what I'm hoping!