Bucket Lists

I was able to wrap up the week with a couple of big finishes. First of all, a co-worker and friend Laurie is running in the Boston Marathon this year. After the movie was released last year, we starting talking about our own bucket lists. This was top on her list. With a little prodding, we convinced her to go for her dream. Since the Boston Marathon is a fundraising event, there was that little matter of the $3000 to enter the race. We have banded together at work, to support her not only from the side lines, but have made a commitment to help her raise the funds for the race. She is racing for Paul Newman's "Hole in the Wall Kids" gang. What a great cause. Thru bake sales and some big ticket items, we are hoping to be able to raise at least 50% of her entry fee. My contribution is this quilt. Monalisa will be donating a gourmet food basket and her services to come to your home and cook a gourmet meal for you. Now that is right up my alley! Someone cooking for me, OH YEAH, baby!!!

Back to that bucket list thing. What's on mine. I have to say starting this blog was one of them, and trying the new things, I keep telling myself I was going to do, is the next. In respect to the quilting world of course. I just can't seem to get enough time to sit in my studio and sew, but when I do, I am in heaven. So I have broke out all those books, that I just "had" to buy for the past few years, blown off the dust and have them all set out. This year I am going to use them. Each and every one of them. :-)

That leads to the other finish this week. Last week I made the great fabric out of my old thread. I saw a wall hanging out of it. Well, this week it happened. One of those books I pulled out was by Laura Wasilowski. If you haven't seen Laura's work, it is great. After watching her on the Quilt Show, I ran out and bought 2 of her books. Fusing Fun and Fuse-and-Tell. She irons fusible web onto her fabrics, then just starts cutting them up. No patterns, nothing to trace. What, is she crazy! I personally have no talent when it comes to the art world. Can't draw to save my soul, which I am told anyone can do. Anyone but me that is! I don't doodle, which is a huge handicap with longarming. But it still intrigued me. Keeping my bucket list in mind, I threw caution to the wind and started in. Well, I tried to just start cutting, but HOW, just HOW do you do that?? So I drew a vase. Good thing I started there. As the height of the piece made the vase look like a midget. Ok, lesson #1, scale. I think I remember that term from my high school art class last century. Once I managed to get that a decent size, I put paper and pencil away and took out those scissors. Yikes, what I really wanted to do was run screaming away, but my mother taught me to never run with scissors! Ok make a cut, don't make the cut, make the cut... It was horrible. Just chopping up fabric with no rhyme or reason, especially when you have no art sense. But after a few chops and some strategic placements, I found a bouquet of flowers growing. Suddenly this was a game that was quite fun. I saw things grow out of this little endeavor, and yes, maybe I did remember some of my high school art class teachings. So hats off to you Laura Wasilowski, your a genius. Who'd a thunk, you can actually make something out of your imagination with a pair of scissors. I urge everyone to give this a try. The one word of wisdom I have to share, is play and play, then go to bed and sleep on it. I thought I had out-done even Michaelango that night, but in the light of the morning realized that there was much more to do. Every little piece of fabric, no matter how minute, makes a big difference. Take the time to play with color and detail. I have much to learn with this, but it was the spark that peaked my interest. And yes the thread cloth has a new found home as back drop to this little art quilt.

May your imagination lead you this week!