Sunday, February 22, 2015

BALANCING ACT


February always zips by. Here in southern Oregon, the month started out in the midst of huge rainstorms (much needed), and now we are witnessing an intense arrival of spring. I pruned my rose bush last week and now I see buds popping out. It's all happening so fast...just like time zipping by.
My head is wrapped around my upcoming trip to Alaska to visit my brother and his family after the passing of his wife Leona. She died last month and now I am finally able to head north. She was sweet and funny and was loved by all. She loved berry picking and all native crafts (beading, basketry etc.) and when I imagined making a small memorial quilt for her, I imagined small berry plants, maybe some salmon (she used to have a set net site with her mother in Bristol Bay) or the like, but what came out was a simple mountain scene. In past memorial quilts (these are small - 8"x10" - and are actually a sleeve that fits over an acrylic frame) I have added small lines to attach photos with mini clothespins, but here I just zig zagged the photo to the fabric and am so happy with it. I now have lots of new ideas for photo quilts!


My goal this year is to step in to the world of exhibitions. I have just entered my first to a SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association) show called "Balancing Act". Here is a small slice of the piece I entered yesterday. It represents the many roles we play not just throughout our lives, but each day...balancing roles and responsibilities. Now another theme for our southern Oregon chapter is swimming around in my head...Poetry and Cloth...and when I return from Alaska I'll be making those ideas real.
The main focus this month has been our house remodel. We are in the midst of a major gutting of a 1951 house and while Tom is there working away, I am researching, shopping, being the courier, cooking lunch, and this week getting some yard work done. My own studio time is squeezed in where ever I can....sneaking in bits and pieces of sewing moments, BALANCING it all out, and eventually getting it all done, or at least most of it.
And let's not forget the important stuff...
Whether it be on Facebook, online quilt journals, phonecalls, or actual coffee dates and connections, our friends are always the best. When life may feel OUT OF BALANCE, friends always pull it all back together!

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