PLUGGING IN!

A while ago, four like-minded creative spirits and I spent a year working through this fabulous book:

Since that year, I have been in search for another book to help guide me towards becoming more of my authentic self. The other day on Facebook, the ever humorous, Mark Lipinski mentioned the following book:

THIS IS IT!!!!

I have read the first three chapters and I am sooooo excited about how the author, Mary Beth, has combined all the ideas I have read about here and there into one space with great exercises to help further propel me on my creative journey. What resonated immediately was the idea that I have to "get plugged in" to what she refers to as the "Big Creative". I liked the image of getting "plugged in"..focused...aligned....and had been thinking about making another "little" quilt depicting this idea, maybe with a lamp, a plugged in cord, etc. THEN I go to my Weight Watchers meeting and what is on the cover of the weekly flyer?

                                                                        GET PLUGGED IN!

The Universe was not done giving hints. (LOL!) Later in the day, the cap on my new favorite ice tea, Original Sweet Leaf said:

                                             ANOTHER ALLUSION TO PLUGGING IN!

So.....how DO I get plugged in and start creating? Sometimes it is the FABRIC. The fabric obsession of the day is the luscious fabric line "On the Rio Grande" for Free Spirit by Terrie Mangat:

Sometimes, it is a PATTERN. Last year, Freddy Moran came to Aunt Mary's Quilt Shop to teach a workshop and walked my dear friend Judy Irish through her version of a Lonestar Quilt. Judy caught the Lonestar bug and I do believe she has made ten Lonestars since then!!! I caught the bug while sewing in her fabulously stuffed studio one day. I have made four so far and have started my fifth!!!!

                                        INSTRUCTIONS FOR LONESTAR ON PAGE 110

                                                           ONE OF MY LONESTARS

                                                                     ANOTHER ONE

                                                                 CURRENT LONESTAR

Reading and working through The Artist's Way was very powerful. I am where I am, in part, because of what I learned and how I grew with The Artist's Way. Whether it's a fabric or a pattern I am PLUGGED IN! and looking forward to "allowing myself to unfold authentically, organically, as I prepare to grow and lift off." (page 28 in Kick-Ass Creativity) Join me?  

UNCAGE COLOR!

On Friday, I took my mom up to Anacortes, WA for a day trip. In the window of the yarn shop was a big sign that said "UNCAGE YOUR COLOR". I love that!!!! That message made me feel happy, hopeful, and eager to do as it suggested!!! Color? Hmmm... I started to notice the colors that are predominant in my day to day life.... driving here and there (or passengering with fifteen year old Andrew!). What did I notice?

GREEN GREEN GREEN

                                                                         GREEN grass

                                                              GREEN moss and grass

EverGREENs everywhere

                                                                    GREEN rhodies 

And then there is GRAY - this is often the color of the sky...for months....

and months

Obviously, there is a need for strategic infiltration of color!

Ahhhhhhhh!

After these observations, I felt inspired to make a "little". A litle quilt measuring 10X10 inches. I stiched a bird cage with the door open of course, embroidered "uncage color" all around the cage. And then added Miss Colorita - a joyfully colorful bird.





 Uncaged Color

While I was thinking about uncaging, why not uncage my inner artist and motivate to open my store on Etsy?! Sooo...drum roll please...four quilts are for sale!!!!!!

                                           kwiltzbystephanie is open on Etsy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Powerful Influences

This is my fabric muse! She lives in a fabulous shrine and she is always IN!!!! 

This is where I sew (top right, next to sand dollar is muse)

  

I have been very fortunate to have been influenced by some great quilters.

JUDY IRISH http://wildirishrowsquilting.blogspot.com/ was my first teacher and continues to be one of greatest supporters. She is fabulous at getting you to believe in your innate artistic ability.

A funtastic quilt collaborated on with Judy

JAN MULLEN also has a style of piecing that is very freeing. http://www.stargazey.com/ How can a gal go wrong when there are "no rules"??!!

Starz from a Jan Mullen pattern

I think it was in 2005 when I picked up a quilting book by MARY LOU WEIDMAN 

http://marylouweidman.blogspot.com/ and fell in love with every single one of Mary Lou's quilts! The colors! The style! The stories!!! My first class with her was in Pullman, WA (with my sons happily playing in the hotel pool with my mom).  I was so overcome with the opportunity to be in a class taught by Mary Lou, that I ended up with an itchy rash on my arms!!!! Oy vay! That was the first of several classes with her and I never cease to be amazed by the happiness and positive energy she exudes!

Self portrait created in a Mary Lou class

In my self prtrait, I am a blender because I often felt that my life was a whirlwind of activity with three young boys and an often traveling husband. I am trying to keep my lid on while my plug is short circuiting! I only have two working speed buttons - "sleep" and "warp". I have on the practical pink gym shoe and the ruby red slipper because as Oprah and Mary Lou point out - our strength and power lies within!

                                                      Hoochy Mamma style Tossed Salad

In one of my classes Mary Lou mentioned how much she loved FREDDY MORAN. Ahhh.....Freddy Moran!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's just say that I started a Freddy Moran brown nose Fan Club on Facebook! And am often told to wipe the brown off my nose! I will most defintiely need to devote some future blog/s to my love of all things Freddy!!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&id=100000857109083#!/group.php?gid=113604685344013&ref=ts

                                                      Polkadotalicious! inspired by Freddy

Last weekend, my dear friend Sue and I took a class with JANET BOLTON http://janetbolton.com/ . Janet was delightfully charming! She is from London and had loads of insight and helpful hints on how to make your quilt sing. She spoke often in "real" art terms like composition, value, weight, dominance, balance, and line which started me thinking in a new direction. Art school???!!!  All the ladies in the class were so talented and yet Janet was able to walk by and say, "What if you tried this?" and Voila! the quilt went from from great to fantastic!!

Most quilts in the class were itty bitty. I can't work with itty bitty. Janet's quilts are all in muted colors. If given a choice, I don't "do" muted colors. Yet Janet never once said anything that wasn't encouraging. In the end, we we had show and share and my quilt over powered the other quilts in size and brightness. Another gal in the class said, "Isn't her quilt stunning? She stayed true to her style." Hey! It turns out after all these great quilting influences I have developed my own style!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ")

                                                   el pez hermana (the sister fish)

I'll leave you with a photo of a little guy that lives in my studio. I continue to work on the details of my Etsy shop. Stay tuned!!!

                                                   "LET YOUR DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT"

Following my passion

Here I go!

Self help quotes are jamming my thoughts, but the loudest one seems to be the saying that points out all journies are taken one step at a time.

DRUM ROLL please.......step one.........

START A BLOG to help promote my new business of selling my quilts.

QUILTS? Ten years ago this month, we moved our family ( then - one husband, two boys, one dog, and one fish. Now - three boys, two dogs, two fish, a hamster, and a lizard) to the Seattle area from Chicago.  While it doesn't rain as much as everyone said it would, we did seem to have more gray days than my sprirt could handle positively.

SO? How could I get more color in my life?

QUILT! Luckily, Aunt Mary's Quilt Shop had recently opened and with the help and support of some great people,  I fell into the fabulous hobby of laughing with happy positive ladies - I mean making quilts to wrap my family/friends in love.

23 QUILTS IN MY LIVING ROOM! I do believe that it is quite possible that every member of my family has enough quilts. What is the definition of "enough"? According to Webster it is "an adequate quantity". If I have 5 people in my family and there are 23 quilts on our couch, then I think we probably have enough. Doubts?

19 QUILTS IN OUR BEDROOMS! I just counted the number in our bedrooms. Here is the tally - Andrew 3, Charles 7, William 5, and our bed has 4.          23 + 19 =42 quilts

17 QUILTS NOT COUNTED YET! Then there is the pile of holiday themed quilts rolled on a shelf in the laundry room  - 8. And the 9 quilts that decorate our walls.   42 +17 = 59

59 is ENOUGH! So, a few months ago, my son Andrew, with all his 15 year old attitude/wisdom pointed out that we had "enough" quilts and that I should start a business. So, I made a list and have been chickenly mulling over the list.

STEP ONE! Today, with this blog, my first step has been taken. I am setting my intention to follow my passion, trust my gut, and focus only on one step at a time.

CREATE FROM THE HEART - Last weekend, my dear friend Sue and I went to a class with Janet Bolton at the Stichin Post in Sisters, OR. Janet was talking about her years in art school in England during the 60s. She shared a fabulous story about her friend who had to pick up Picasso at the train station. He was so nervous, he didn't know what to say to Picasso. With all the stress he blurted out, "I paint!" to which Picasso replied, "I paint too." He couldn't believe he had said something so stupid and in a valiant attempt to redeem himself, he asked Picasso how he would know if his art was any good. Picasso said, "Does it come from the gut? Then it is good."   Great story?!

Janet signed my copy of her book, "Follow your own star."

TWINKLE TWINKLE

                *******Stay tuned for the official opening of my shop on Etsy *******