Getting ready to teach my 1st free-motion class

 Lately, I've been busy with family and trying to complete a few UFO's.  My sewing room is approaching critical.  I need to put away lots of fabric and scraps, but I am using them for all the current projects. (Good excuse anyway ... except my scissors and favorite rotary have been swallowed up in the chaos.)

I have been working on the skill builder quilt by Pile of Fabrics and Leah Day's goddess quilt.  These have been very good for sharpening my free-motion quilt skills.   I have created handouts and a quilted book of some of my free-motion stitches for the class I will teach for Sassy Stitchers today.  Here are a few pictures of my quilted book.

WIP -"What She Saw in the Garden"

This is my latest quilt challenge.  The challenge to use all of this fat quarter of brown rose fabric and the 5 inch patch of black, red.  The rest of the challenge is to choose one color from the fat quarter and use only that colo in a monochromatic scale.  You may also choose one background  fabric of any color.

  

I started with the idea of rose bushes in a garden in animal shapes.  This was put on a brown labyrinth.  The labyrinth looks good on its background, but was not quite right for the animals.  One UFO to work on at another time.

So my next idea was to make the animals as part of the rose.   Here is my start.

My New Years Resolution---- fading already

Resolution one is that I will not sew gifts, especially Christmas gifts for anyone on my list next year. Well that is I will not after January when I should be finished with the last seven gifts.

Resolution two is to finish what I started. Oh, the baby's wall quilt will probably not be finished by January's end. So does this give me a reprieve from resolution one. Does this include all the quilts I've already started that are in various stages around my sewing room, or all the ideas sketches and computer mock-up. I have a few quilts going back at least 10 years.

Resolution three is to just create each and art every day. (This really should be resolution one.) Well art every day unless I'm still finishing gifts and old UFO. (unfinished objects) Oh and if I'm not home or we get in way too late. Then I also will not get to create much on designated laundry day. Oh and I must try to get some of the housework done. Does it count as art if I leave the dust and just draw pictures in it?

My main resolution is to put family first. I guess this means I have to come out of my studio to prepare dinner or at least heat up the leftover pasta from the earlier in the week. I guess that also means I have to fold and iron the laundry that I might have gotten done. And then their are friends who are like family that I might need a special gift for, so I guess I will have to make gifts for them. But then, if I make gifts only for friends would that mean I don't think family is as important. And if that is so, then why is this my main resolution?

I could sit in a quandary all day debating this and then where did my art time go. And yes before I start creating art i have to clean out and organize my studio again. By the way has anyone seen my 4' X 7' table. It might be what's peeking out from the ever-growing mound of fabric scraps. Speaking of scraps, be sure to save yours for me. I will be using them to create fiber art pieces. To get started I have to clean and organize all the scraps I already have. I think that table mound looks like a potential avalanche. Hope not because I can barely see the floor now. I must find a small area to create art every day or at least finish those gifts ........

Happy 2012 Everyone!