Hello,

Today I want to talk about having set backs.   It is unrealistic to think that every piece one works on will be a success.  Everyone who plays on a team  knows that with every game there will be a winner and a looser,   That certainly dose not stop the players from preforming to their best.    With creating the ends are not so clearly defined.   Many things are good or okay, and only a few are specular.  As the creators, we keep trying none the less  just as athletes do. Then there are short falls and a few specular failures.  It is all part of the game.  On occasion out side influences come into play.    This has been my experience this week.   I have been working away on the Wedding Travel Dress Project for my friend Joyce for a while.  I carefully stitched down the cape and dress top that were originally made in 1909.  This week I started to stitch in the words to tell the story.  I have tried to be very gentle with the old materials, but I had to admit that they were truly falling apart.  I accepted  defeat having only done one line.  I can see that the silk will not hold up until I am done.    With  more and more of the support cloth of brown is  appearing as the old  pink silk falls away, the dress will lose it beauty.   I sadly told Joyce of my decision  on Tuesday.    She was so very gracious about the loss.

My second let down this week had to do with not making my own goal.   When I started the SAQA 100 day challenge, my goal was to design  and complete four quilts, each taking 25 days.  ( the gold is the first quilt)   Each of the four quits was to be made with a block I designed that was repeated three times in three sizes that worked together. This system I learned from my friend Liz, is call a “motif”.    ( the right shot is the motif in the largest block )

Well I think I bit off more than I can chew.   The first one was successful and I made the goal.  This second one however has proven to be a lot more difficult.   What I did not know and have learned, is that the triangles, although they look similar are  easy to put together incorrectly.   This week I have spent as much time ripping out seams as I have putting them in.

 Today is day 46 and I have only completed one block of the smallest motif at this point.       So again I must admit that I will not make the set goal.    I think the project is worth completing so I am not admitting defeat about that part – only the time limitation.   When I design the next block I will take far more care in the shape of the parts.

This week I only had a Pixie meeting and the Noel’s Needle Work meeting.    Liz spent part of the needlework  meeting working on her Finding Fragments  project.

 

 

 

 

Noel shared these fish, her sister made for her.

 

 

 

 

 

I did stop to talk with Adam for a bit on Tuesday and he honored me with this necklace that he had made.

 

 Project Progress: Three Trees   I have been doing this little hand project over the course of several week.

Barbara Blocks II   I am doing the free motion quilting on the second quilt that I made from some of the leftover blocks from the Barbara Blocks quilt project.

 

 

 

 

Ethel 4 I am adding the rows together on  this project.    I only have three to go and then I can move to the boarders.

Collages   I had a good time working on collage projects this week too.

 

 

 

 

 

Can you find the blue face in this work?

 

 

 

 

I used one of the  Sea Grape leaves that Chris brought up form Florida for Barbara’s  floral arrangements for in this one.

 

 

 

Coral Shores   I am having fun with a very limited pallet with this one.  I am also discovering how many little trinkets I have in my collection of stuff.

 

6X6   It is time to ship the 6X6  pieces and sense we can donate 4 this year  I am making one more.  This is not complete.

 

 

 

Finding Fragments Works I am adding texture to some of the pieces that I created at Angela’s play date last week.   I am not done yet.

Stay safe and warm

Carol