'It' and the Dare to Doodle

Yea, I have seen the blogs, looked over the tutorials and read the books (oh so many books) that say "Get a dry erase board and doodle. It will help you to learn good eye hand coordination and improve your quilting skills." I ignored that advice. I made excuses like "its not really like actually quilting", "I am not good at drawing things", and "it can't possibly help me, its just silly".

Until, one day during a back to school sale I picked up this 'thing'.

Scary? YES! You mean I have to use it?

When I arrived home that day I walked in the house and leaned it up against the guest room wall still wrapped in its plastic, and scurried away quickly as if it was taunting me! Telling me I was not good enough, I had no right to think I could handle the failure and disappointments I might make upon its pristine glistening white face.

Weeks went by, then months. Every time I passed the guest room I could hear it, still taunting me. One day while sitting in the living room visiting with family I was asked to draw out examples of my quilting, to which I quickly changed the subject. Later that evening and after a few glasses of wine I summoned up my courage and marched into the guest room. Before 'it' could utter a word, I tore away the plastic wrapping, wadded it up and tossed it on the floor. I sat on the guest bed and pulled the cap of the pen off and wrote this:

You Will Not Defeat Me 

I will over come this fear!

I doodled swirls and I swear I thought I heard giggling. Quiet taunting laughter as if my sad crooked jerky swirls were a joke. I used my sleeve and wiped the swirls away, it got quiet again. I drew more swirls and more and more swirls, until the evil whispering laughter ended. I put the dry erase board away in my quilting room. It's shiny white face silently glared at me.

The next time I went to use 'it' the pen was missing. A large emotional search was conducted, blankets tossed, dresser drawer contents emptied, and accusations were made. Eventually the said pen was found, under the couch broken into three pieces. The battle wounds could clearly be seen, and the guilty party identified - Ripley! My sweet little doxie girl had killed the pen. So off to the store were I purchased a multi pack of dry erase pens in many colors (ya know I love me some color in my life).

Now I doodled and practiced every free moment I had, and like training a wild mustang each time I doodled on the dry erase board we got to know each other. I knew if I didn't like what I saw, I could simply erase it and start over. 'It' learned to trust me, to understand I was honing my skills as a quilter. Together we created, practiced and experimented with new designs harmoniously.

What does this silly little story mean, you may ask? 

It was all in my head, all the evil voices and laughter were simply me and my doubt. The fear of trying and failing, that is all it was. I was intimidated by seeing my mistakes, but you have to make mistakes to learn to get better, right? What a extreme moment of insight!

If you want to quilt and want to get better at it - GET A DRY ERASE BOARD!

It doesn't matter whether you want to quilt on your domestic home sewing machine, a mid-arm or a long-arm get one ASAP!

Practice and doodle and if you don't like what you see, just wipe it away. If you like what you see, take a picture and save it. Do it over and over and over again!!

'It' is now affectionately named William, but I call him Will - yes my Will!

So, tell me what is your excuse??

Selfish Sewing Saturdays in September

September is National Sewing Month, to celebrate that and our creativity I am hosting a challenge. We as creators give so much of ourselves not only in sewing and art but in our lives, we often don't take the time to make for ourselves. This month I challenge 'YOU'  to sew something for yourself. Whether it be something small or large, simple or elaborate just spend some time on a Saturday in September to create for yourself and feed your soul!

Here the rules -

Post a picture of a completed item that you have sewn for yourself on a Saturday in September to Instagram and tag with #selfishsewingsaturdaysept2014
Entries must be posted by September 30th
Winners will be chosen at random - Winners will be announced on Oct 4th

More prizes to be announced

Follow me on instagram LaBellaColori

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have the wish I wish tonight.

 **I am going to use the abbreviated form of improvisational = improv, in this post and I hope it's ok? yea - spell check is a screamin"

Finally finished the ECMQG's Madrona Road Challenge (our guild received the fabrics late and therefore did not participate in the world wide challenge), but we are having fun with our own challenge and we all reveal our quilts at the March 9th meeting.

I used Silly BooDilly's Wonky Star Tutorial to create the two stars and with the scraps I created a mismatched border.

Front of quilt

Quilt size is 37 x 37 inches, fabrics are Madrona Road boy color way and Kona white for the background.

There are a lot of firsts on this mini for me. I like plans and drafts and designs to follow, it's a control thing but I have been trying to challenge myself when doing a "challenge quilt' (ha ha sorry I'm goofy).

I ran out of white fabric twice - yes twice! You would have thought when I ran out the first time I would have gotten enough to finish it, but I didn't have a coupon for Joann's Fabrics at the time so I only bought 2 yards thinking that when I do get a coupon I'll get over there and buy a ton.

back

The first improv pieced backing I have ever made - now I've done backings with blocks but it's usually pre-planned. This was very challenging because you see the white 'was' to be the backing, just plain fabric. After piecing the front borders I realized I didn't have enough for the back so I thought why not use the scraps and try to improv piece a backing (and the fact that a quilt buddy has been telling to try improv-piecing). Using the scraps of Madrona road and kona white I made the biggest block I could and then pulled out of my stash the blue madrona road fabric to make it large enough to cover the back.

A different angle

corner

A first for improv borders - I had planned on placing the strips evenly around the quilt, but after making the strips of the scraps my husbands was like 'Hey, what if you make it wonky like the stars". 

I did miter the corners, so this was the planned part that helped me cope (you know the recovering perfectionist).  It turned out to be a great idea. I am definitely doing this again!

A first try at improv quilting - really I had no plan (it was quite scary). All I kept thinking was "it's going to pleat or pucker I just know it" - but it didn't or at least I can't see any after washing it.

The first time ever finishing the binding 100% by machine and using on grain bias, I had always hand stitched the binding down and used bias binding. I used the blanket stitch and Pat Sloan's tutorial.. For this quilt you can't even see the stitching, and thank goodness I had a horrible time as the thread kept breaking and knotting on the back and I never found out why. I would only use decorative stitches on the binding when there is contrast because my thread disappeared into the text print, and decorative stitches take way more time to stitch out.

The quilt is a little wavy but it's cute, and I am sure once well loved the waviness will disappear. 

And a first of taking photos at work in the office. It's Friday and my brain is fried, but I did this on my lunch hour so if my boss reads this no worries I wasn't goofing off today - I promise :)

Is it improvisational, improvisation or improvising and can I say improv??

I did find this at Merriam-Webster on improv.

oh well, I was never known for good spelling and grammar in school, or math either come to think of it - was I doomed.

I'm linking to Quilt Story, see my sidebar for their button :)

http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/2013/03/fabric-tuesday.html

Something, at least something...

I know, I know I am late posting. And I know excuses just are a waste of time and I could be posting something, at least something....

What has been going on? So far I have completed two more blocks for the Sew Happy Quilt QAL and taken photos, but they alas are still on the camera. I joined a local modern quilt guild the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild - and have to say I am very excited to meet new people with modern quilting interests and learning from them.  A new project that I am working on is a Robert Kaufman Kona Solids Challenge with the local quilt guild. The challenge is to make a quilt no smaller than a crib quilt using one kona brights charm pack and one solid for the background, no prints on the front of the quilt and you can use a another solid for the binding. And I have made 172 hexagons and still need to figure out if I want to applique them on by hand or machine. Would love any advice/opinions!!

(please excuse the blurry camera phone pic)

This picture shows the layout I plan to use. I wanted to create movement and hope this is translating that. The background fabric is kona eggplant and I cut my background squares at 26 inches because I figured this would make it easier to handle if I decided to hand applique. I also plan on making two whole designs and one half or a quarter of the design and then piece the background squares together. Each one of the 'swirls' has 37 hexies in it. Wish me luck getting it done by March 30th.


Work deadlines and family travels seem to have taken all my free time. We visited our son at school and had a wonderful time on a mini vacation. Really enjoyed seen Evan and spending time with our little family. It is just amazing how fast time passes. 


And today I felt so special this morning, see it rained heavy all night and this morning. But the minute I walked out the door to go to work the rain let up and even the birds were singing to me as I got in the car. With this I felt like it was going to be a wonderful day even if it did start raining after I arrived at work this morning!!!


Hope your day smiles upon you!!!