Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My Creative Space

I don't have a design wall in my sewing studio. Mostly because two of the walls are lined with large windows and the other two consist of a lateral file cabinet, a floor to ceiling bookcase, and a couple of oversized units used for storage. So, in absence of a design wall I refer to my Creative Space to describe my current projects.

Lately, most of my sewing time has been making baby gifts. Seems everyone is having a baby… In the last couple of weeks I’ve made twelve burp cloth and receiving blanket sets and I have a couple more sets to complete before I’m finished.

Another project I’ve been working on is a tutorial for the receiving blankets. I need to finalize the written instructions before I post it and I hope to have it posted by the end of this week.

A third project I’m working on is a group challenge. As many of you know, a group of us get together once a month for an all day sew-in in Anacortes. One of our members, Susannah, is working on a group challenge with another group she participates in and we’ve been admiring her progress. At our last sew-in Susannah offered to host a challenge for our group and several of us took her up on it.

Each month, Susannah will announce a challenge as we add rows/layers to our quilt. She gave each participant a piece of fabric in a peppermint print and each project must contain a 3” x 3” square in the completed project. It doesn’t have to be a one piece, but the total used of this print must equal at least this amount.

For this month’s challenge, each participant must create a 22.5” block in a Christmas Carol as their theme. The possibilities are endless and I’ve been designing my block based on the song I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Although I have tons of ideas racing through my mind and since it’s a challenge, I’m not able to show anything to you… At least not yet. I have until our December sew-in to complete my block. I sure hope I can meet this challenge in time. LOL


And then, I was browsing through a quilt shop and picked up these deliciously looking charm packets. Where is it written that quilters have to have the characteristic of an overachiever? I’ve been quilting for about thirteen years and I don’t think I’ve met one yet who works on one project at a time. In fact, most have several going at the same time.

Its mind boggling the torture I put myself through sometimes. I’m my own worst enemy. But as my closest friends tell me, I’d be bored otherwise. What’s your theory? I'd love to hear it.

7 comments:

Micki said...

The charm packs are lovely, and it looks like you are challenging yourself.
Have a great time with everything!
Micki

luv2quilt2 said...

I'm always working on more than one thing at a time. I don't really understand why, but if I really love the project, I will finish it eventually.

webbsway said...

Hi Dena ,
I have to tell you how much I admire you! And unless you are posting a picture of you when you were 17 - there is just no way you can be a grandmother????? ~smile!
I was reading where you fell in love with your embroidery machine and then tried your hand at digitizing and I am just pee green with envy. Now that I am a grandmother it just seems new things are so much harder to wrap my wee brain around - so bravo to you ! Everything you make is so lovely and I think your light really shines.
hugs, Linda-The Sewing Granny

Jocelyn said...

Love your charm packs. I've fallen in love with charm packs and jelly rolls! But I do still like to cut my own fabric :-)

Loralynn said...

I think as crafters, we are also collectors...collectors of material...collectors of projects...collectors of things! I totally am a card carrying member of that club!

webbsway said...

Hi Dena,
When you said ,"put him to sleep at the ripe old age of 17 because his body was giving out on him. - I know exactly where you are coming from! I will always believe that they are just little (or not so little ) bundles of pure love! And I think we all need pure love.

Mariana said...

At first i thought i had a big problem having so many projects but then i read so many blogs where other people had so many WIP's! It can't be a problem! Can it? Is it a virus?
Sometimes i am working fast on a project so that i can start a new one!
Are we all sick?!