A move and Friday Favorites

When I came home from Nancy's Barn I told my husband I needed a bigger studio.  My current studio is in a corner of the living room/family room/tv room/entry way/only public space in our tiny house.  I gave him the option of moving to a bigger house where I could have a separate room or giving up more (perhaps all) of the living room.  My dear husband said all he needs is a chair and a TV in my studio so he can be with me. Lets all say "AHHH" together because he meant it.  I am a lucky woman on many levels and  I have now taken over the living room.  The consequences of the in-process move is that I can't find ANYTHING.  Hopefully I will achieve a higher degree of organization by next week and have something to show off.

Friday Favorites  After a couple of weeks being too busy to read blogs, I was excited to see what my friends have been doing.  I was not disappointed!

Debra has several new-to-me things.  First she has learned how to piece on her longarm machine.   She has also added some really quirky quilting to Laura's Rose Quilt.  What do you think of it?

My friend, Beth, has also posted several entries that I somehow missed and I think are exciting.  One shows the results of her attempts at thread sketching.  I really like what she did. Sometimes I think the thread painting is just too much--the material won't even lay down any more--but this is really clever.  The second entry is her results from attending a workshop by Jane Dunnewold.   Fabulous stuff.  I get to see it in person on Saturday!  Yeah!

I have quoted Elizabeth Barton many times before and here I go again.  One of her recommendation is to let a 'finished' piece hang for a while before declaring it officially done.  Overtime you will see any problem areas that still need some resolution.   So it was with this piece by Judy.  It was good before but now it is really pleasing to look at.  I really like what Judy did to it with the foil and the edging.  I find finishing to be the most nerve whacking part of the creative process--what if I do something the ruins hours and hours of work?  Perhaps following the suggestion of time to study the quilt before execution will make the finishing touches be closer to life-giving than murderous.

Elizabeth also gives us some good advice about how to not fritter away your time in your studio.  My favorite is #5. 

"Leave a start the previous session.  Take a leaf from a writer’s book and leave something obvious from the day before so when you walk in it’s right there ready for you to get moving on.  I like to leave something in the sewing machine"