September Morning Make 2021

September is always the new year in my books. And this year it felt particularly monumental. Kids in high school, junior high, and elementary; a return to in person sports and activities; and trying to get back in a routine when, mentally, I’m still needing lazy afternoons with a good book. I knew that choosing a slow, meditative Morning Make would help me with the transition.

This month I chose to doodle mandalas. Well, these are officially mandalas. Let’s call them mandala inspired. I committed to the circle shape but obviously played around.

These, perhaps, could have been a bit more challenging. I will admit to getting a bit bored by the end of the month. It might be better for me to pick a theme rather than a specific technique to get through the month. Although, it is good to push through that boredom, to force creative action, in a way. The struggles are as important as the successes. Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it is without struggle. That struggle could be about the pursuit of greatness/perfection, it might be about forcing yourself out of a comfort zone, and it could be about accepting that not everything has to be hard. Either way, it is a win to sit and make on a daily basis.

August Morning Make 2021

August was set to be a busy month with a lot of motion. Camping and a vacation in between the reality of working and caring for kids. I started the month wanting something portable and to keep scratching the hand stitch itch. Committing to the Euroa quilt was an obvious choice.

From start to finish in the month I made 7 whole blocks. That might not sound like much but considering that, on average, I made 20 blocks per year for the past 3 years I think that is pretty good! This gets me to 70/100 in my goal for this quilt. I started the month cutting fabric and prepping to baste and piece the first block. I worked one or two blocks at a time, the same way I’ve been making the entire quilt. So some days I was prepping, some basting, some assembling. Some days I had an hour or more, some days only 20 minutes. But like always, I was doing my Morning Make before consuming anything - social media, caffeine, the news, or even hot water in the shower.

We had the opportunity to go camping a few times in August, once to the Jasper area and once to the Sheep River. It was about connections with family we haven’t seen and connections with the outdoors. I still started the day with Morning Make though! Then we could hike and kayak and and swim and wander the forest and laugh together. The best of all worlds, even with the dirt and outhouses. Later in the month we visited Waterton for more of the same, but we splurged on a hotel. This was to make up for a cancelled lake vacation because of forest fires. Still more family connections, kayak time, forest time, and sewing in a fancy lodge while tourists stared at me slightly less than the magnificent scenery!

Morning Make is often portable, unless I commit to a sewing machine project, so there is no excuse to miss it. Besides, while vacation is also good for my mental health, the daily creative practice of Morning Make is even more important.

July Morning Make 2021 (Meet Dot)

Remind me never to hand quilt in the summer again.

Not sure what possessed me to think it was a good idea for July Morning Make, other than a desire for the act. We started the month with record heat so it wasn’t my smartest move. But when it comes to the quilt, it was brilliant!

When you only commit to a little each day hand quilting is far from overwhelming. Hand quilting an entire quilt, no matter the size, is definitely a big deal. Just thinking about it gave me the sweats (or is that the menopause transition?). Quilting a little each day, however seemed manageable. One stitch at a time. In the end, I finished this in the middle of the month! Every step is a step in the right direction.

On this particular quilt the stitching followed one single line. Each day I started where I left off so that now that it is done, it is a trail across the quilt. Twisting and turning here and there. Sometimes following the appliqué, most of the time ignoring it. Just taking whatever path felt right at the time.

The quilt top was another Morning Make adventure from last year. One appliqué shape stitched down per day. No preplanning, just improvising the composition and shapes as I went. Great fun!

Dot

49” x 54”

Meet Dot. Dorothy, if you must, but she prefers Dot. Just like she prefers her coffee with a wee bit of whiskey in it, her steak pretty rare, and her men on the younger side. She might look like your Gran, but do mistake Dot for her. Her heart aches for the baby girl who left this Earth when only a toddler. For years she barely moved, barely breathed. Life wasn't worth it until she found a way to find her spot in the world. A spot that can only be occupied by her alone. Dot moves with double the energy of most, playing with expectations and attitudes. You won't find her marching on a path, rather, she finds a winding road and moves where her whims desire. No worries, she'll get where she needs to in the end, but she has to do it her way.

Not being your typical gal, Dot was finished with a lovely contrasting binding. Unexpected but perfect. Her backside is a woven from Anna Maria Horner’s Luminous collection, with a scrap of yellow because sometimes you make mistakes when doing math.

We should all be like Dot a little more - take a few unpredictable paths and see what happens. Whether it is with your quilt making or in life.

June Morning Make 2021

There is something very meditative about paint by numbers. That was the good part abut June’s Morning Make, it was very meditative. I can’t, however say that it was interesting or very creative for me.

To each their own.

I can see how people would love colouring books and paint by numbers You don’t have to think, you don’t have to be challenged to be creatively ON, and the design work is done for you. It gets easy to get lost in the action, the repetition. This is rather relaxing, truth be told. It just wasn’t enough to hold it for me this month.

The kids gave me the paint by numbers for my birthday in May, with Morning Make in mind. It was kind and thoughtful. I’d never really thought of doing one before so I was game to try it. It went quicker than I thought, I finished by the halfway mark of the month. By then I knew I was okay to not do another one so I jumped when a friend suggested making a quilt inspired by the painting.

It’s me, so of course it was improv. I grabbed scraps in the greens and pinks of the painting and set to making flowers and background pieces. As you can see, I skipped the hummingbird portion.

The whole thing was made willy nilly. Made a few flowers one day, made some background another. Frankly, it would have been better to plan it out a little as it required some headscratching, partial seams, and hacking apart to get it to come together with ease. Above you can see it before I squared it up to finish. With improv you’ve always got to add the order back in.

Both pieces are 16” x 20”. I ever feel motivated to finish and frame them they can exist side by side.