March Flop to April Fool

Ok, for March I did almost nothing, no painting, no new creating, though I worked on quilting 3 quilts.  I did not spill over on anything so no March themed stuff for the sketchbook challenge.  I spilled over with nothingness.

Not that I didn't want to start 2 new quilts, I did. But I operate on Time Out with myself.  If I have a mandatory something I should be doing I do not allow myself the pleasure of starting something else.  I have to complete 2 of the 3 quilts in the next week and I have been saying that for a month now, and of course, the quilt I want to work on is the third, non-mandatory quilt. The heart wants what the heart wants. So I put myself in Time Out until the "work" gets done which means I will resent what I now have to do and find a dozen ways to not do it.  Self-defeating.

So a couple of days ago I let myself off the hook.  I was art-starved.  I wanted to do a ton of things but was being the cruel taskmaster and I had had enough.  A day off to play!  It was wonderful, not that much came out of it, just a bunch of different colors of Angelina sheets to get myself under way for a Wynken, Blynken, and Nod project that I've had in my head for 2 years and now really, really, want to make.  That, and a sunflower. And a fairy person. So a little bit of each got to be considered and headed toward becoming something real. A little progress on the Fun Stuff.  And now back to the grindstone of quilting.  I want them DONE, off the table, so I can get on with the real meaning of art making in my life: to be playful.  A far cry from the serious artist-type I started out as, many years ago, but I think I like this artist a whole lot better because she is much more fun. As ever, photos to follow.

Miss me?

I have been missing myself lately as the ordinary chores of daily life are interfering with my best laid plans all over the place.  I haven't entirely been neglecting my chosen tasks, arting and sewing, but they seem to have ended at the bottom of the list day after day.  Washing dishes and doing laundry are winning and I have to ask why.

My answer is that they take little to no creative energy to perform, other than the tower building exercise for dirty and clean dishes, and how to fold the towels.  Since I'm the one creating the dirty dishes and laundry, they are up to me to clean and with my housework on the "hitting the high spots" plan anyway, I do have to do at least that bare minimum. I run the vacuum from time to time as well and I get the trash out regularly.

What I have been doing more of in the interim is machine quilting three quilts, one mine, two for hire.  Lots of insights gained along the way and I'm getting slightly better with my free motion or I care less that the stitching is all even and more that I can sleep under my own lovely quilt.  It's far from done but farther than not even started, so within a month I think I can be at the binding point which, thank God, I do not have to do on the other two quilts.  I may begin sleeping under it with the binding not exactly sewn down all the way, just because I love it.

As you can see, it's basic nine patches with sashing and borders of two larger floral prints.  I call it my Big Pink Happiness quilt because I made it for a challenge in 2008 to make something for the word happiness, and Big Pink for The Band's album Music from Big Pink that I also love.  I'm quilting hearts all over it, bigger ones in some of the nine patches, as shown below:

and smaller ones all over it.  I love it and I can't wait to be sleeping under Big Pink Happiness, filled with joy, love, and happiness!