Not sure about this one...

This orange and pink one was fun to do. I love these two colors together, all bright and cheery on yet another snow-filled, bitterly cold winter day.

Isn't it spring yet? I've had enough of this stuff, and it's only the middle of January!

I pulled out every orange scrap I had, which turned out to be more than I thought...but then again, I am a brights girl, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. In retrospect, I probably should have used more of some and less of others.

I had this flower image in my head, but I'm not sure it translated as well as I hoped. Just not sure about the white prints...but then again, second-guessing myself defeats the purpose of improvisation, doesn't it?

And maybe the fact that I'm questioning it means I've pushed myself outside my comfort zone? Which again, is the whole point of this exercise.

Now to go clean up the mess.

Distracted again...

So what else is new?

I was supposed to be just looking for orange scraps for my next Project Improv block. I found some, all right...in the UFO corner.

Another project started, then forsaken for something more inviting, or more pressing. I'd started a couple of blocks, but the rest of the fabric was cut and had been waiting patiently to be sewn for oh, about three years. Or longer.

So in the spirit of spontaneity (and improvisation), I finished them. It was time.

Another UFO one step closer to being identified. And a little more orange fabric for Project Improv!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Kona Snow, that is.

And the other kind, too. It's been snowing here since yesterday morning and, as the song goes, it doesn't show signs of stoppin'.

And since I've no place to go -- gotta sew, gotta sew, gotta sew!

I committed to a red/aqua block for Project Improv, but I don't have many good reds in my stash for some reason -- a situation I would quickly remedy if a) we didn't have eight inches of snow on the ground and more one the way and b) I hadn't cut myself off from buying any fabric until the quilt show in April. Which is when I plan to make up for it.

So I dug. It took me a while, but I found some wonderfully whimsical Jan Mullen reds buried deep in a box, some aquas and -- inspired by the weather -- some Kona Snow and lo and behold! We have Block #2:


And here's Block #1 in its entirety:


I haven't yet decided on an improvisational project beyond the charity quilt blocks, but it may have to involve the red/white/aqua color combo, it's just so dang cheery -- and in the throes of a winter snowstorm, it's a nice little bit of sunshine.

Which means I have to keep digging through my stash for more reds.

It's much more fun than shoveling.

Jumping on the improv bus...

And Jacquie's driving! Thanks, Jacquie, for jump-starting 2009!

I'm on a roll...

Mostly because now that I've rearranged the living room, there's a big wall with nothing on it. And nothing to hang there that I really like any more. There's also a conspicuous lack of a throw on the sofa -- so in an effort to reduce the pile, I paid a visit to my UFO corner and found these blocks.

Only this time, they had more appeal than the last time we met -- and, now that I've changed up a couple pillows, they go (more or less) with the living room. A slight stretch (Lord knows there're enough colors in there), but better than nothing -- so they became this over the weekend:

I still haven't decided whether it'll get snuggled under or displayed on the wall -- that, I think, depends on the quilting. But I have to admit, I'm back in like with it. Not love...yet. Give me time.

First things first...

I was feeling all full of resolve yesterday.

So much so that I rearranged (and vaccuumed!) the living room. And in the process, came across this quilt, still in the frame, tucked behind the couch.

A wave of guilt washed over me. I knew it'd be forever before I could successfully return to it...and here I was, talking about starting another new project? Shame on me!

So I quilted it. By machine. I hadn't gotten very far with the hand quilting in the first place, so taking it out wasn't a big deal.

I used variegated nylon in orange, pink, yellow and neon green. All wavy and easy to do. Backed it with this wonderful Jane Sassaman stripe I'd had forever. Stash busting already!

I bound it this morning. By machine, of course.

My first quilt of 2009.

No more guilt. About this project, anyway.

I hope this bodes well for the rest of the year!

Resolving to resolve...

I hate making resolutions, mostly because I never follow up on them. Except for last year.

Following an early January visit to Paper Source (one of my all-time favorite stores), I determined that their motto was something I could aspire to:


It sounds easier than it actually is. In fact, trying to be creative on a daily basis can be exhausting; some days I just didn't want to put forth the effort. But everything counted: quilting, sketching, knitting, Gocco, polymer clay, photography, Photoshop, blogging...and it didn't matter how much, just that I kept those creative juices flowing. So I didn't have much of an excuse not to.

I jotted down notes about what I was working on in a calendar to keep myself honest -- and looking back through it, with the exception of a couple vacations without the sewing machine and the week the cat died, I did pretty well.

Cutting squares out before work. Blogging at lunch. Sewing a few blocks just before bed. Snagging little bits of time here and there -- nothing big, just whatever I could.

And you know what? Somewhere during the year, it got easier. And more fun. And made work seem less stressful.

With that kind of success rate, I don't see a reason to stop. So I'm recycling last year's resolution for this year.

It's the green thing to do.