The first 2010 top quilted

I had to search all the way back to 2008 to find the first one like this. It helped that the customer sent me pictures of the quilting I did on that one. She wanted this one to be quilted with the same designs.







I had difficulty getting good photos to show the quilting. I think it had something to do with the reflection of all the snow and that the thread matched the fabric.

This block looked like leaves to me.

You can see better by looking at the back. This is the setting triangles.

This is the leaves blocks.

This is the alternate blocks.

This is the borders.

The border corners.

It doesn't seem quite right that I've only quilted one top this month. But then I think about all I've accomplished by not being chained to the quilting machine. I like retirement! True, I do miss the money it brought me. I can live without it knowing my life is my own again. I have time to create things that are crowded in my mind. I only wish I could create faster.

In 2009 I received a free membership in a local art group as a prize for winning a ribbon in the fair. I decided against taking the free membership because it didn't offer anything to me except being able to say I was a member. I'm not really a person that likes dropping names so it wasn't too important to me.

Recently a friend told me about this group having a jury process in March. In order for the art group to sell your work in the spring it must be juried in by the members. Their jury process is once a year. At first I thought, yea, if I hurry I can create the maximum 5 pieces before March. I could find out for sure if my art would be accepted and later find out if it will sell.

I gave it a lot of thought and have decided not to apply for the jury process this year. The deadline is much too soon. I want to enjoy simply creating before subjecting myself to the stress of a jury process. What I've decided to do is mark on my calendar the approximate dates for different art juries next year. It will be a list I can look through now and then. Each time I create something I can look through the list to decide if what I've created would be a good candidate for a jury. If I think my creation qualifies then I will set it aside to wait for the application time.

Why would I be willing to wait a whole year to see if my work is accepted by a jury? Because the creation is what's important.... not the acceptance by someone else. If I make giant roses with miss matched colors of fabric it doesn't have to make anyone happy but me. If I make funky shaped cardboard chairs, they don't have to be hot selling items in a gallery. I can sit in them myself just fine. You see my point? Art creation should make the artist happy. If someone else likes it too that's simply a bonus.

Hmm.... I think I'll go create for awhile.

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