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Piquant:
1.  agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor; pleasantly biting or tart
2.  agreeably stimulating, interesting, or attractive

Doesn’t that word just make your mouth feel a little strange, but good?  I’m working on my projects this weekend and am faced with a little sense of this odd flavor treat as I work on my “Onion” for the Salsa series.  I did something a little different from my Tomato and Tomatillos on this piece.  Rather than having everything be freehand machine applique, I put a layer of organza for the sliced face of the onion and just sewed in the lines of the layers of the onion.  This gives it a translucent, shiny appearance, like a real onion.

Now that I have the onion finished, I need to make the background on which to applique it. I’m a little unsure how I’m going to do the trapunto on this one, as it has a real sense of depth with each onion behind the other.  I’ll have to think on that.  I should have it finished in the next couple days and will post the rest of the pictures from the process of making it.

First two rows stitched together

I’m also finally starting to get my Waterfall quilt UFO pieced together.  I’m planning to try our a quilt-as-you-go method, per Leah Day from her Freemotion Quilting Project.  I’ve put together these two rows and plan to quilt 2 rows together at a time.  I’ve been thinking I’d use Leah’s “Mesh Curtain” design to quilt this, but I’m a little worried that it will be too busy or will dominate the quilt, making the color shifts and curved pieces less noticeable.  Any thoughts or suggestions on how I should quilt it? Waterfall quilt UFO on the design wall (some pieces have now been changed.)

You might also be interested in:

Week 4 – Tomatillo	5 x 7 Week 3- The  Start of Salsa!	52 Week – 5 x7  Challenge to Readers	Curved Piecing  Video Tutorial

Check out these other great blogs:

Stitch-by-Stitch… my quilting journey

Last week I promised to get back to my UFO “Waterfall Quilt.”  Well, I’ve made some progress with it:

Waterfall Quilt last week

Waterfall Quilt this week

One of the waterfall squares with curved piecing

As you can see, I’ve added a couple rows (and I obviously need to get a larger design wall that my pieces can stick to!)  More importantly, I think, is that I removed pieces that I felt didn’t really work, either due to the patterning of the material, or more likely, the color flow wasn’t right.  Actually, now that I look at the photograph, I see a few other pieces that I’ll probably switch out, since they don’t have quite the right value. I call this my waterfall quilt as I wanted the curved pieces to make it feel like water trickling down, as well as the blues and greens to represent the water and surrounding forest.

I thought you might like to find out how I do the curved inserts which I’m working on adding to all the blocks. Believe it or not, it’s a fairly simple process.  Certainly simpler than doing the video… so please excuse me if my videography needs a little perfecting!

For other interesting blogs and tutorials:

Check out how other quilters are finishing up their UFO’s on Leah Day’s Freemotion Quilting Project

Carol’s portrait of Max, a yellow lab shows a great progression for doing a pictorial quilt.

You might also be interested in:

Week 2 of the 5 x 7  Artist Challenge	Fireworks Freemotion  Quilting Design	How to Make a  Knotted Blanket Stitch	Quilt Story’s Block  Tutorial Links

The build-up for the end of the world has been building for over the last year. Based on the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar, there are people who predict that Earth will cease to exist after Friday (12/21/2012.) So, here are the things I want all of my children to know… just in case:

Christina with Ryan (right) & Coleman at cub scouts in March 2002

1. There is nothing I treasure more than you. Forget any frustrations, anger, disappointments. They’re just part of day-to-day living. Be secure in the fact that my love is with you regardless. 
2. You are not perfect; nor am I. No one is. You don’t need to try for perfection, just doing your personal best. Be generous and forgiving of Yourself. 
3. At the heart of all happiness is forgiveness. Resentment and bitterness only perpetuate unhappiness. 
4. Trust is built by being trustworthy. When you demonstrate time after time that you are honorable, honest, and reliable, you create a foundation for trust. 
5. The “Golden Rule” (treat others the way you would like to be treated) will serve you well throughout your life. 
6. Don’t surrender to negativism, despair, or cynicism. Get help. There are people who love you (I’m at the top of the list) and will be there to support you with whatever you’re going through. 
7. Be present. Listen carefully to what is being said (or unsaid) by others, rather than an internal monologue at the same time as when someone is speaking. Live life in the moment, rather than regretting or holding anger about the past or being anxious about the future. 
8. Who we really are is our thoughts, words, and actions… they need to be congruent for true happiness. If you say you’ll do something, do it or renegotiate. If you’re thinking something different than what you say, your integrity is out of alignment. Hold yourself accountable to your promises and commitments. 
9. When you make a mistake, acknowledge it, ask for forgiveness, and, if needed, atone for the failure. 
10. You are responsible for being generous and loving in your close relationships with family and friends. Caring is shown by listening attentively, forgiving, having patience, granting dignity, showing interest in them and their endeavors, and consciously working towards being heartfully uplifting to them. 
11. Choose to create your relationships through reconciling, being merciful and forgiving, being magnanimous, cooperating, easing tensions, being ethically persuasive and truly listening to others. When you are antagonistic, criticizing, tearing down, being petty, demoralizing, retreating from others to an internal dialog, or making meaning where it doesn’t exist, you damage both the relationship and yourself. 
12. Be unique… there is no one else like you and your uniqueness makes you shine. At times, it’s a struggle to be accepted and it’s easier to try to fit in. Don’t give up your individuality… find people who accept and love you as you are. 
13. Developing yourself as substantive person will give yourself freedom, happiness, satisfaction and peace of mind. Through becoming more worldly, learning to understand different viewpoints, developing marketable skills and cultivating interests, you’ll find your place in the sun, so to speak. Shallowness, immaturity, and ignorance will only lead to pain and needless suffering. 
14. The primary place in my life that I expect perfection of myself is in my mothering. I suppose this is partially due to talking to myself over my disappointment that my marriage did not turn out successfully and the guilt I feel towards my children for this lack of providing them with the “perfect” (i.e. culturally accepted mean) family. Therefore, I strive to live up to my expectation of the perfect mother and consistently fall short. The times when I am closest to the ideal are when I am being the most autonomous—when I listen attentively, show compassion and interest, be empathetic and caring. However, I often feel my biggest regret in life will be the time I have missed with my children. (Refer back to #2- forgive yourself.) 
15. Be empathetic. Put yourself in other people’s shoes. If you can’t understand and be compassionate to how someone else is thinking and feeling, you’re going to have difficulty with that relationship. 
16. Don’t fear embarrassment! Yes, the feeling of heat sweeping over your body is uncomfortable, but it is fleeting. If you can free yourself from this fear, you’ll be willing to try more things and build a tolerance to the discomfort that accompanies embarrassing situations. Trying more things leads to being more substantive (see #13.) 
17. Finally, don’t fear what you can’t change. So often we get ourselves worked up over imagined futures. Live your life to the fullest during the time you have. By the way, the world isn’t going to end on Friday. Just as our calendar ends on December 31 and it doesn’t mean that the world will cease to exist, the end date of the Mayan long-count period will just turn over to another long-count period. 

Well, if you haven’t checked out by now, know that I want the best for you. I have a deep longing for you to be happy in your life. I hope to always be a part of your life. Please be patient and forgiving with me when I make mistakes. All my love to you, Mom / Christina

I wrote this poem on June 24, 2001 and want to share it with you:

     Sweetly, sweetly, I gaze down upon your little head

     Nestled up to my breast

     I feel the love swell and know of nothing more precious.

     Tantrums, burgeoning independence,

     As you grow, we dance with closeness and pushing each other away

     Yet, I still feel the joy of just looking in your face.

     There are times that I struggle

     Times of disappointment, anger, worry-

     Yet not truly over you, my darlings.

     You’re growing so quickly – our time is so short

     How can I impart to you all that I wish – all that you’ll need?

     How can I be…?

Coleman and Ryan dressed up for “College Day” this year

Son David and his partner, Valori

Daughter Kayla (right) with her partner, Ryli

                                    

OK, I know this has been done before, in fact it’s been done in a much bigger way that I’m going to suggest. But you have to start somewhere and I know personally what my bandwidth might be able to withstand.

I’m so hesitant to type this out… I feel a tightness in my belly… fear. Can I really say that I’ll do this? Will it compromise my other art and goals that I want to do?

Artist: Gwen Lowery

As part of my journey this coming year, I’m going to make one 5″ x 7″ composition each week. I’ll post pictures along the way, here on my blog. Notice I didn’t say fiber composition. Part of the reason why is that I consider myself a fiber and mixed media artist. While fiber is my favorite chosen medium, I think I can learn a lot through using different materials. I also think combining techniques can be quite effective. Why did I choose this size? It seems doable, but it’s also more than an artist trading card… it feels like it can be be art in and of itself, rather than just a practice piece. Not that these items will necessarily be successful- that’s part of the process. But I do hope to find satisfaction with some of these pieces I create. I think that having a manageable size will help me really work at producing, something I think I need to do, to increase my skills.

Artist: Deborah Zibrik

One of my favorite teachers, Gail Harker, had an exhibition and online auction of some of her student’s work. The show was called Black White and Red and it was all 5″ x 7″ works in values of those colors. She still has the pieces up on her online gallery. I was extremely happy to be able to purchase three of these small works, which are pictured here, and which I am displaying as artwork in my home. I had planned to do a piece for this show/auction, but didn’t end up making it a priority. When I went to the opening, I was somewhat ashamed that I hadn’t. I could see that making a 5 x 7 piece wasn’t all that unattainable, even with the demands of work, a family, my volunteer work for other fiber organizations (CQA and SDA, primarily), and everything else that puts demands on my time. So, it’s time to put it to the test.



Artist: Judy Alexander

In case you’re wondering about my fascination with windmills or ‘moulins’ in French, I am passionate about France and Paris. My husband, Randy, works in the international aerospace industry, and travels abroad regularly. He proposed to me on the shores of the Mediterranean and we’ve enjoyed visits to Paris and many areas in France numerous times. I started studying French in the fall of 2008. Between the beauty of the French countryside and the iconic portrayals of the Moulin Rouge in late 19th century art, I’ve developed a fondness for the imagery of the windmill. Guess I should add Holland to my list of places to travel someday!

I find that the time between Thanksgiving and New Years is the perfect time to get a little introspective and to think about what you’d like to accomplish in the coming year.  There are many reasons to take this time and actually write out your goals. 

First, by writing out your goals, you help clarify them to yourself.  Is it more important for me to show in as many shows as I can get into or do I want to pick and choose?  Or do I want to forego a real push for exhibiting this year and work on developing my style and voice in my work?  By looking at where you’d like to be by the end of a particular period of time, you increase your ability to pick actions that will help you get there.

Similarly, if your goals help you pick proper actions, then you reduce “scope creep“.  When asked to do something, you can evaluate how it will help you with your goals.  I know it’s important to learn to say “No”, but it’s not always something I’m good at.  So, perhaps if I get really clear on my goals, I’ll be more likely to recognize when a request isn’t going to help me with the direction I want to go.  When you’re busily working towards your goals, you’ll find yourself presented with more and more opportunities.  You know the old saying, “If you want to get something done, ask a busy person!”  By focusing on your written goals, you can find keep yourself working towards them, rather than getting distracted by other potentialities.

As part of goal-writing, it’s a good idea to come up with a plan to help you accomplish the goal.  While there is plenty of data on the power of just putting the goal down on paper (and even then just sticking the paper away in a drawer somewhere), I personally believe that you get much further towards accomplishing your goal if you have a plan of action to accompany it.  Even if it’s just a list of to-do tasks, that will get you on your way.  If you want to go further, you can set objectives to accomplish for each goal, then make timelines, and evaluate what could potentially trip you up in your plan and how to overcome that (aka risk management) if the ‘risk’ occurs.
 
Ah, this is all sounding a bit dry.  I think it must be time to hit the sewing machine.  Before I do, I thought I’d share a link and a few photos from a fabulous textile tour to Guatemala I took a few years ago with my mother.  The hostess, Priscilla Bianchi, is a Guatemalan quilt artist.  She uses traditional Guatemalan textiles in her amazing quilts.  Tonight I found a book called Arte Textil Guatemalteco- Trabajo de Priscilla Bianchi, or Guatemalan Textile Art- the Work of Priscilla Bianchi online.  It is just beautiful, even if you can’t read Spanish, check it out! 

The photos here on today’s post are ones which I took when I visited Priscilla’s home in Guatemala City in February 2009.