Thursday, October 22, 2015

Talking, talking

I was shy as a kid.  Would you have guessed?
I didn't often fit in outside of family situations, I often felt self-conscious or unprepared for interaction.  I was a quiet observer, able to entertain myself for long stretches of time.  I like my own company.  I like being alone.
This probably doesn't sound strange to that many of you, assuming we're all quilters.  It is a solitary hobby after all (most of the time), but there is also a wonderfully social aspect to it.  I love guild meetings because it's ok to sit and observe or get up and talk.

I got over my shyness sometime in high school, I guess.  At 16 I had the lead in the high school musical..  Yes, I was still self-conscious sometimes and often unprepared, but I learned to trust my instincts, to lead with intuition, and basically to "wing it" most of the time.  I like the me that comes out without too much forethought.
Wait.
Maybe that came out wrong.  I do think, I actually spend a lot of time thinking about what I'd like to say in a variety of situations.  On my drive to work I play out whole conversations with multiple people in specific surroundings.. Perhaps more accurate would be to say that I don't like to worry.   I don't waste time getting anxious over what might happen if I say or don't say, if I do or don't do.  I trust me, and I like myself more when I do.

I have recently upped my PowerPoint game.  I like making presentations, and I LIKE giving them.  I was invited to speak to a local guild about English Paper Piecing yesterday and as I was setting up, there were no butterflies.  I was completely comfortable.  Only a bit of concern when I couldn't get my laptop to connect to the projector, but even then, it wasn't stress-- I knew I'd be ok.  The guild members went through their guild business announcements.  I stood ready, not even reviewing my notes.  And when my turn came, I was on.   Ohh, I like to talk.
Last night I took the Myers-Briggs quiz, again.  I keep thinking I'm going to score more introverted because I understand almost everything Marzi @introvertdoodles posts, but no.  ENFP, every time.
This chart came from a quiz off Facebook, but if you would like to try for yourself, I suggest 16personalities.com  

It's easy for me to talk about quilting, to talk about making and my creative process.  My quilts all have stories anyway, even the ones I don't like that much.  All the stalled projects, all the hurried promos.. but last night I got to talk about the quilts I really love.  The hand pieced ones I spent a lot of time with.  Quilts that capture a certain time period.  A time that has passed.
I get to sit down with that group again on Saturday for a Hexie workshop and I hope I'll have the chance to talk about more than just the "how to" parts of EPP.  I'd like to ask for their stories, do some listening.  Put it all in perspective.  I hope this weekend I find some time to observe too.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Monday Morning Star Count, October 19, 2015

I emptied my pentagon travel case and returned the special notions to their usual spots in the sewing room this week.  I've decided to work a bit on Travel Quilt #5 in preparation for my upcoming EPP Lecture in Williston Park this Wednesday.  I'd like to have something big to show off.
Not much progress to show, but I'm prepped for when free time appears.

What have you been working on?  If you have several EPP projects going at once, how do you keep them separate and do you pack different notions in each case or do you switch them out?  I'd love to hear how it works for you guys.

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Friday, October 16, 2015

Spooky All Points Patchwork Blog Hop!


This is the Halloween leg of the All Points Patchwork book tour...
Diane has really made this super fun, pulling together English Paper Piecers for different themed challenges month after month.  All week people have been showing off their Halloween themed EPP projects and today it's my turn:

Halloween Pentagon Table Runner

A couple years back, when I met my friend Eri, she was working on a blue and white pentagon pattern, alternating two fabrics and piecing together rings of 10 shapes each.  I was deep in a hexie addiction at the time and couldn't quite understand what you would do with all these little rings of pentagons, but filed the idea away under "cool" in my mental library and decided to try it when I had a chance.

Rings of pentagons, it so happens, are AWESOME for fussy cutting cute novelty prints.  I even played with stripes, which I'm not that comfortable with.

I made a bunch of rings from 1.5" and 1" pentagons and started playing around with layouts.  The boys helped, of course.


Once I had them where I wanted them, I marked a ring with my white marking pencil (I love that thing), removed the templates, gave each ring a good press, and pinned it into place.


Then, staying very close to the edge of the pentagons, I top stitched them into place by machine.  I stitched around the inner ring and up and down the points on the outside, removing pins as I went.

Once they were all securely stitched on, I layered, pinbasted, and quilted in "organic" crosshatch circle-ish things.  I like the light thread on the dark background, and I like how the round shapes play with the pentagon rings, but.. I think I might want to add some perle cotton stitches in fun colors somewhere too.  I've got 2 weeks til Halloween, we'll see what I come up with.


So that's it!  My contribution to the All Points Patchwork Halloween Hop.  If you haven't checked out a copy of All Points Patchwork, please treat yourself and do so!  The book is absolutely beautiful and full of ideas for how to add even small bits of English Paper Piecing to every area of your life.  Make sure to visit the other Halloween Hop crafters.. there's tons to learn and see in the links below~

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Monday, October 12, 2015

Monday Morning Start Count, October 12, 2013


This is where I'm at with the pentagon runner.  My day for the Halloween Blog Hop is Friday, so please come back and see how much it changes before then.


Monday, October 5, 2015

Monday Morning Star Count, October 5, 2015

Post and pics coming soon.  I have lots to say, but first, the linky:


Free Zoom Quilt Class, October 20.

    Free Live Online Craft Class Learn to quilt with Jessica Wed., Sept. 9 Tues., Oct., 20, Nov. 9 7:00 – 8:00 pm Sign up now.   Take one or...