February Journal Quilt Challenge - Love Is A Journey

This month I am exploring the wonders of the Journey that is Love:

Text from back:
This quilt is dedicated to my Life’s Partner, my Best Friend and the Love of my Life, my Dear Husband.


Symbolism on the quilt:
The two paths leading up to the heart are two separate lives merging into one in love. The heart has a sun shining to represent the warmth of love. The beam radiating out of the heart is to show the world that love is flourishing within. The two golden rings at the top represent the marriage state. The sky and the mountains with the field of flowers represent the world that love journeys through.


Construction:
The black frame is made of a single piece of fabric with fusible on the back. After the ‘windows’ were carefully cut out, the ‘glass’ pieces were added – I used Glue-Baste-It to hold the edges under the fusible until I was happy with the fabric choices. Then I fused the frame down onto the window fabrics and carefully lined up the piece according to the registration marks on my original drawing to get it centered correctly, and then the whole piece was fused to the interfacing. I quilted around each of the ‘windows’ and added the back piece. Ink enhancements were added after quilting. Satin stitching around all the edges of the page completes the construction process.

Feb Journal Quilt Progress

Since my Journal Quilt page for February has the front finished, I thought I would share some of the design leading up to the page:
This is the drawing I started out with:



I originally had something totally different in mind, then switched to a drawing my daughter did many years ago, but ditched that as not being original enough. This drawing was an attempt to get something close to Melody Johnson's style, but I realized two very important things as I was making this: 1 - I don't know enough about Melody's style -so I hope I can sign up for her class at the next Road To California, and 2 - I don't have the luscious fabrics she uses so even if I DID come up with a design that's a similar style, its never gonna look even remotely similar because of the fabric...Oh well..I ended up liking what I did do! I decided to make this into a 'stained glass' style, though I did not use the stained glass look fabrics...

This is the second stage where I converted the drawing to a pattern for the black leading for my 'stained glass':


More later! I just need to figure out the wording for my label, print it, fuse it to the back and do the satin stitching around the edge and I am DONE!

Artist's Way Check In - Week Twelve

Final Check In for The Artist's Way book

Wow...Cannot believe its really the last check in for this book...I am so looking forward to starting on the next book!

Tasks:
1. I don't think I HAVE any resistance, angers or fears about going on from here. I am looking forward to the continuing process...
3. Core negative beliefs...Didn't think I had them in Week One...still don't think I have them...
4. Mended a sock for DH...
5. No languishing plants that need repotting...Could use a few more new plants but need to get more potting soil for the pots before I ask my DM if I can have some more cuttings.
6-7. The God Jar reminds me of a story I wrote many years ago about a boy and his troubles. It is titled "Thomas and the Trouble Tree" in which Thomas learns to write or draw his troubles on slips of bright colored paper and tie them to the branches of his 'trouble tree' - the theory being that you give the troubles up to the tree and it will hold them for you so you no longer have to think so hard about them - when you are ready to deal with the problem, go get it back off the tree, but you might just find its blown away in the breeze... I mentally do this with the tree in the back yard..and have for years...so I didn't think I actually needed to create a God Jar...

Check In:
1. Did pages 6/7 days. I shall be continuing to do them.
2. Artist date was poking around in a real art store...I was looking for a Niji waterbrush but they did not carry them, sigh...Have to find another store that does. Artist Child is fascinated by the concept of the waterbrush...(yeah...I know I COULD order them over the internet but I want to 'see' one in person first...)
3. The author of the book that I got at the signing the other week was on a TV program and my DM taped it for me...
4. Continuing with the DOTRSOTB - I picked up the workbook the other day and read the intro...She (Betty Edwards) says the hardest part is finding time to draw (and by extension any other artistic endeavors)... So you must trick the left side analytical brain into letting you find the time..She recommends the 'two minute miracle' technique...So, if you say to yourself 'I am not really going to draw, I am just going to turn to the next page and look at the next exercise' and then 'I am not really going to draw, just make a few marks on the page' then 'I am not really going to draw, I am just going to sketch a bit of the outline' and so on...You will find the right side can take over, time will pass with you unawares and you end up with a completed drawing...(0r by extension again, a completed project)
She goes on to say: "I realize this may sound, well, stupid, but it does work...You may find this hard to believe, but the single most difficult problem for art students and even for working artists is getting the work done. One is always fighting the delaying tactics of the verbal system, who's mantra is 'Not now'. At it's most extreme, the result is writer's block or artist's block: a milder version is called procrastination."

Artist's Way Check In - Week Eleven

Chapter Eleven Check In

This week was mostly about success as an 'artist' - I don't think this just means a commercial or monetary success, but emotional as well...and keeping the enthusiasm as we reach creative plateaus. There must always be a bigger goal - for if we actually 'make it there', strangely enough we will find that 'there' disappears. Julia likens the artist to a shark, which must keep moving or drown.

Check In:
1. Did pages every day this week...some were a bit truncated (mostly after the root canal...which kinda wiped me out). I did kinda recommend doing the pages to DH, but so far he isn't buying into it.
2. Artist Date was building the lap hoop with my Dad.
3. No major synchronicities jump out at me...but I did keep seeing images of a particular animal that I want to incorporate into a future project.
4. I am more convinced than ever that the Artist Child is actually the right side of the brain. Will be exploring this more over the next few months as I work thru the Drawing book. Any technique for shifting to the creative mode is welcome.

Did a bunch of the tasks but they are pretty hard to share! I did get the 'Creativity Notebook' but haven't finished working on that task...its a long one!

Have Hoop, Will Travel

My Artist's Date this week was working with my Dad to build a lap hoop - I wanted it to fold up so that its easier to transport and store - most of the ones I have seen are not very easy to transport. Having a Dad that is a mechanical engineer is a very definite advantage when you want to build something like this! This was a very fun project...Now to get busy practicing the 'metal to metal' quilting technique and letting Aunt Becky do all the work!

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