Starting Something New

While I have a job that gives me satisfaction in helping others, what I really enjoy is creating things. Whether it is sewing, gardening or cooking, I like to do “my own thing”. I am not someone who follows a published quilting pattern, or follows a recipe word for word. I simply enjoy the thought process that goes into designing and creating, from the beginning thought to the final product. Over the years, I have made many things. When showing them to friends, a few have suggested that I should teach others what I do. Well, it’s hard to fit a teaching job into my professional schedule. But, over time, this blog may become a tool to teach other about the things that are important to me. I have many hobbies that I enjoy – Fiber Arts (quilting, knitting, crocheting), Flora (gardening and flowers), Food (cooking and baking). Of greater importance is my Faith – I see God’s creation around me and it inspires the creativity within me. Hopefully with time I will have a few good stories to share and some pretty pictures to post as well. So, you can each have some Fun in reading these postings.

Yesterday was my half birthday. Half birthdays are big days for many young children. But, as an adult, we are not supposed to think about our birthday, let alone our half birthday. I, however, have decided to ignore this normal adult attitude. So – Happy Half Birthday to myself!

It was also a delightful fall day here in Minnesota – sunny with temperatures in the low 70s. So, to celebrate the beautiful day, I delivered a belated birthday gift to my sister-in-law. Several years ago, I asked her whether she would like a quilt for her bedroom. In response, she sent me the following image and asked if I could make a quilt to look like it.

image by Sheila Rosamond, digitaldoodle.com

Seeing this as a fun design challenge, I decided to see what I could come up with. Using EQ7, I designed the following quilt, which was given to her for Christmas that year. It was made with batik fabrics and hand quilted by an Amish lady who lived near my mother. Overall, a very enjoyable project to do at the time.