April 2017

Still slow going, but definitely some improvement in getting some quilting done.

     I helped a neighbour last month and as a repayment she gave me a lovely gift ... I have already started to use the grey ... and it won't be long before the other colours are cut into bits!

     Joey's quilt is done and is waiting to find a way to Ontario.  It was quilted by TLC in Bedford (I had won a 'quilting' prize from them a couple years ago, so it was good to use that up). I've had a number of people say they really like it, but it really isn't my style. The use of complementary colours really makes it stand out (blue / orange with added grey).

    So with that done, I can now concentrate a bit on what I would rather be doing .... a possibility for a "Transitions" piece. The next SAQA Atlantic Canada show is running from April 2018 to spring 2019 and so far I have 4 galleries booked.  Our topic is "Transitions" and for awhile I was really stuck with what I would do with that. Every day, I watch the horizon of Halifax change  .. the whole city is in "transition". An "Aaha" moment.

I can continue my enjoyment of creating buildings and working on a variety of architectural styles.

     This photo is taken while standing on citadel hill, looking across Brunswick Street towards the construction of the new Trade Centre.

     Here's the start, laying out pieces ... I would rather not have the "For Lease" sign on the front of the building (mostly because I don't like doing print / letters) but I think that having it would show an additional transition stage. I should do a bit of background research ... I don't know the original purpose of the older building nor how old the building is.
     I will probably leave the cars out and the traffic lights in the foreground, but will add the light standards and the traffic lights directly in front of the building. ... And of course, the crane in the background is a must!

March

March ... really not sorry to see you go.
     It's been a rough month: surgery, appointments, health scare, death, (not all the same person ... spread over several family members), additional responsibilities mixed in with a healthy dose of winter storms ...  enough stress and activities to take me away from two things I like to do the most: quilting and writing.

     A male friend of one of my daughters has requested a quilt for his bedroom in a mixture of grey/blues and oranges.  I gave him a few suggestions and then he found a picture on-line that he thought was a little more "manly": "Sedimentary" by Debbie Grifka. I modified what I saw and created a queen-sized quilt for him. 

     This is the top before I square it up & add a grey border and take if off to TLC quilters in Bedford, NS to have it machine quilted. 

     Certainly long enough to fit over a thick mattress.  The strips are a mixture of 2", 2.5" and 3".  I sewed it in 6 sections to help keep the strips from going wonky because no matter how much you try to sew a 1/4" seam on a long strip, it can (& will) shift!
   
     Time to get back to some art quilts. The next SAQA Atlantic show will be "Transitions" ... we already have the approval; I finished the corrections / editing on the paperwork (forms, eligibility, etc) yesterday and will send that off to headquarters. 3 galleries have agreed to host the show and I am still hoping a few more will offer some space soon .... but it does mean, that I can now start to work on a new creation!!