It's The End of The Road -no picture post

Goodbye 2014.

I am grateful that I made it through the whole year. Many weren't as blessed. But I made it. It wasn't the worst year but it wasn't great either. I was sick the first part of 2014 and then I seemed to just languish. I did learn some things so I guess I grew a bit. The one thing, looking back, that I see where the problem lay (at least a part of it) was that I had no goals. I don't believe in resolutions but I do believe in having goals to make my life pleasant. To have a sense of being.

I am a list maker. There are many who don't make lists and that's fine. I've discovered that I need lists. Lists of goals. 2014, I had no lists. Not even one, and I floundered all year. And that was pretty bad because nothing got done. I wasn't creative at all. I waited for things to happen and they didn't. I was miserable, I racked my head to figure out where I'd gone wrong. And it was the list (s). I had previous one's from 2013 on my wall. Really? I don't want a repeat of 2014.

SO...

I've got new lists. Quite a few lists. A list for things I need to do everyday. Without fail.

• write one page or edit one page
• read
• sketch

No ifs, ands, or buts about these. Whether it's for 10 minutes or an hour, these are a must.

There is a QUILT list, for all my quilting projects. My WRITING list to finish up stories and start editing my work. Someone else might like to read this stuff besides me. ART A MONTH list. Yeah, I'm still working on that one. February is 29 Faces where you make a face a day.

• January - I will work on a new character, Kid Medusa
• February - 29 Faces
• March - mushrooms (I like mushrooms)
• April - bears
• May - paint like a favorite artist

You get where I'm going with this. Some of these will be a part of the sketch a day. Kill two birds with one stone thing.

A list for my DOLLS/FIGURES. Yep, Halloween and Day of the Dead are still hanging around. With an alien or two thrown in. A list for COSTUMES I want to make for me, starting with corsets for every time period I like. That falls into my LONG TERM list.  That list is for projects that will take a year or longer. I've started a room box, miniature size. I've always wanted a dollhouse. Well... we'll see if I can get a room box done. One room. A long term project for me. Same with the costumes. For me. Not to sell. Not for anyone else. For me. Because, sometimes you need to think and do things just for you.

And dagnabbit, I'm going to finish my second pair of socks.

I also have a list to HELP OTHERS. I will be knitting or crocheting and sewing some items for the Merchant Marines. Those men and women who work on the huge sea ships that bring us things from other countries. I like to sew and I like to knit. I can do those things during my down time. I'm sure there are some other things I'd like to do. Like start my Christmas cards in January. Which is tomorrow.

Now, on the other side, I may not get to everything on my lists. That's okay. I have lists to keep me to task and on track. I also have specified down time for me. One day off a week. Or two. I can do that being on my own. I want to stay being on my own. I had a hiccup year with 2014. It will be remedied in 2015.

I'm calling 2015 The Year of the Creative Juggernaught.

I'm excited and I'm ready. Are you?

Come on 2015!

Blue Scrappy Quilt Top

My creative mojo is coming back. Slowly but surely. I surprised myself by finishing my first scrappy quilt top. This was leftover fabric from many projects over the years. I got tired of looking at them in a bag and decided to do something with them. I will add on borders this week and get it on the longarm to quilt.

#scrappyquilt, #blue

Day of the Dead Mariachi Band

I did get them done before Christmas and I almost teared up because I liked how they came out. The person who ordered them, really liked them too. This is my third project completed using a combination of Rigid Wrap and Creative Paper Clay over wire armature. I want to get better at using the Paper Clay and that is on my list for 2015.

A friend helped me out and made the horn. #dayofthedead #paperclay #mariachi band

Mariachi Band Continued

Yep, the last few days before Christmas were spent finishing up the band. It was a gift and I couldn't really post much for fear of giftee seeing things. Here are more steps involved.

Mariachi Band Taking Shape

This is my last commission for the year. A Day of the Dead Mariachi Band. I finally started getting some skin on them. Once this layer hardens, I can add more and pose their arms. Their instruments will be made too. Stay tuned!

My Scrappy Quilt

I've been working on my scrappy quilt using my scraps I've saved for at least eight years. Got tired of the bag hanging around. I went through it and sorted the pieces by size (cutting a lot) and by color. It will be a throw quilt.

Pieces may or may not stay in this arrangement. #quilting

Little Mariachi Band

I got a request to make a Day of the Dead Mariachi Band. I finally got started. One will have a horn, one a guitar, and one a drum.

Binding

It's slow catching up but while listening to Christmas music this afternoon, I got the binding on my first quilt I longarmed on Leonidas. I had this fabric for a long time and started a design I saw in a quilt store. I ran out of fabric and knew I would probably have to go online to see if I could get more. That didn't happen. Then my mom sent me some of her fabric and guess what was in the pile? More of what I was using. Still not enough to make a throw, so I put in the red rectangles. It works for me. Finished size is 36" x 52".

Birdie Quilt

Here's a quilt I've been working on for years. It started as an applique project. We were given a color for the month and had to make the bird pattern. Then we, the students, would switch birds to each other. Here's what I had in a pile, in a corner, in a bag. Some of you will get that reference. I have to put the border on and will then be able to sandwich it and put it on Leonidas.

Something Else That's New

Well, not too new. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always wanted a dollhouse. Not a Barbie dollhouse, but a real miniature dollhouse. I think I bought one when I was a teenager, not knowing anything about dollhouses and it never got put together. Why? It was big and complicated. I looked at the directions and put them back into the box. I think the thing is still in my mom's attic. Maybe one day I will rescue it.

I have a wonderful friend Kim, who lives in the wilds of 'up north' and she likes minis too. I told her my dilemma and she was special enough to get me a room box. I cried when I got a package in the mail. She said to start off small. Yeah, looking back on things, that's probably what I should have done. So I'm starting  my first mini piece. It took me awhile before I opened the box. Then another month or so before I pulled out the instructions and made sure I had all the pieces. Then another couple of months before I decided that I was going to just do it.

That was a challenge. I thought I knew what I was doing. I'd read the instructions, had what I needed to put it together. Yep... Ha! It was like watching an Abbott & Costello movie with Lucy thrown in for good measure. I learned to do one side of the room at a time. Using books and anything else heavy to keep it in place until it dried. Did I ever mention that I'm not very patient when it comes to things drying? Yeah. And of course I had to put one wall on the wrong way. That's why you should be glad that things don't dry right away.

Now I have to figure out what to do next. I did order some wallpaper and wood flooring. A window and door. I think I want it to be a room for a writer. We shall see.

A New Month!

Here we go! A new day in a new month, the last month of the year. Can we say 2014 flew by? I think it did. I’m glad most of it is a blur, a bad one at that. Now it’s time to pull up the big girl pants and forge ahead. I have quilts I am personally working on, waiting for my jobs, getting creative again, and I've a Christmas commission to do. I’m looking forward to doing the commission. It’s been a long time since I’ve done one. Let’s see if I can make up some the the creative stuff I’ve missed out on for the year. It’s going to be a busy December. And that’s okay.
I’m working on my quilt blog. Wanting it, at least, set up today. Until then, here’s a picture of my longarm machine. I’ve named him Leonidas from The 300 movie. I wanted a name that showed a dedicated and hard worker. Dependable. Take no prisoners. Thus, I have blessed it so.

I practiced with three small quilts. One of mine and two made by my mom.
This one is mine. You can see the layering of the final piece. The quilt top I pieced, the white batting, and the red backing fabric.

Close ups of my quilt. The top and the back.

Close up of my mom’s scrappy quilt with a different pantograph pattern.

I’m also still scaling back on the stuff in my apartment. That will be an ongoing process but I’m feeling better about it. I will be making some scrappy quilts of my own so that I can creatively get rid of scraps and fabric I know I will never use. They may or may not be for sell. We’ll see. So get your December on. The year isn’t over yet.