new ideas for a new start

Can you read this?It says:
"We must take Adventures to know where we belong" 
I saw it on my recent foray into Joann Fabrics. It seemed to fit the situation I'm in. 

I feel so out of place, and frightened about this choice of location, that I thought what makes me feel better, besides comfort food?? 
Answer: wandering around sewing/craft stores. 
Time for some medicinal shopping....

 I took just as long as I wanted in the local Michaels and Joann's this week. I wandered slowly down each aisle. I imagined all the fun I could have creating lots of things. 

I wallowed in the familiar.  
we cannot find our hats and scarves, so I picked this pretty yarn up at Michaels, and the needles the free pattern called for, and thought I might just knit a scarf. New yarn, new needles, new pattern. Change. 

My focus word of the year. It doesn't have to be all scary, maybe change can be a good thing, a slightly less frightening change is to learn a new pattern while doing something familiar like knitting. 

 Or making the next quilt in my Valentine Series
 can you see it? 
I sketched out my idea and love it! In the same little notebook I keep lists to pick up at Target, and TV channels I like, I drew out this year's quilt. I cannot find my supplies, so while walking the aisles at Michaels I spied the almost hand dyed red fat quarter, and the black and white floral fat quarter, the wooden word, the embellishments, and embroidery yarn. The idea had been percolating and I went with my instincts and brought these home. 

I can see it done. 
Then when sketching it later, I added in some long curvy piecing, just to make it overly complicated heh heh, and started to get that little thrill one gets from the creative process. 

Oh nothing has changed, I still see a wall of brown boxes, can't find vital items, worry over what else is shattered inside the boxes, but for a moment, my soul was soothed, I was among my peeps, I saw the possibilities between the shelves holding new supplies. 

I'm going to need a design wall... and since the house itself has such a smell I didn't want new insulation board adding to it... what to do? Don't want to put holes in the wall... hmmmm Hey... these boxes are pretty big...

 Bet instead of buying lots of foam core, or a new insulation board, I could use them... next choose some batting to staple over... but I didn't like it and it was still expensive... what's this? Fleece on sale? Everything sticks to the fleece jackets I made Cole buddy... 

 since I was taking my time, I went back and forth down the aisles, comparing size and cost. This fleece was 64" wide, white, and on sale for $5 a yard. The clerk saw a slight discoloration on the piece left, 1.5 yards, so she asked if I still wanted it. I dithered a second, then she offered to sell it at damaged rate. I got the whole thing for $3.14. Bingo! I'll wash it first and bet it is good enough for a temp design wall. I'll just tilt it against the wall upstairs and no holes to repair. 

Ah but it feels good to be creative again. 

While looking at towns and neighborhoods yesterday we ended the day in Castle Rock. We had high hopes for a neighborhood we saw on line but it wasn't as special as we hoped. It all looks good online, where the pics carefully exclude the ugly. 

While there we found the quilt store, about to close. I ran in, and asked for the sale section
And a kit.
I can't find the special box I prepared with all I needed to do temp sewing in the rental. 
I spied this... 

 and was attracted to the lines, the choices made for me, just follow the directions. 
Then I opened the kit... suddenly I remembered my friend Nancy and her workshops on the Judy Neimeyer techniques. 

I'm not new to the quiltmaking rodeo, nor to paper piecing  or foundation piecing. But Judy's technique is a whole 'nother animal. The clerk said they are an "official, certified, Judy Neimeyer shop. She walked me through the technique... told me Judy's sons are engineers. 

Ooooooohhhhhhh. Yep, that explains the over construction/planning aspect. Good gosh y'all, I could draw this out, piece it in an afternoon my way, even piecing in the curves instead of applique. 

But that's not the point. 

Change. The point is to learn another technique, to try something new and see if any of it suits me. Stretch my mind. I usually, pretty much all the time now, make original art. But. Something in me wanted the challenge presented here. Why, it's even in neutrals. Not a palette I would choose myself, but one I may like looking at. 
Okay then... let the new year begin. Change.  


linking to:
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http://www.myquiltinfatuation.com/ 
http://stitchallthethings.com/
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