She loved it!

I decided to put the quilt up on the wall so that when she woke up, she would see it.  The funny thing is, she did not notice it right away!  I had to say, "Hey, what's that?". 

Fused and Finished!



I usually make something to give my mother and some of my closest friends each year at Christmas. This year, I decided to make them an art quilt.  My mother's was finished first, and I am so proud of it!  Her birthday was on the 24th of December, so I wanted to do something extra special. It is based on a photo of her holding my daughter Laila, her first and only grandchild.



Grammie & Laila, 2011



Detail shot 1





Detail shot 2











I'm on a roll

I have made progress on my first quilt of the "Sisters Series".  I took this picture a few weeks ago, and I have worked on it since then.  Actually, inspiration has been flowing all around me lately.  I have not made time to update my blog, but I have about four art quilts in the works at the moment.  Hopefully I will post pics of them all soon!

In the works....

I am currently working on a quilt based on a photo that inspired me over a year ago.  The first time I saw it, it truly made me think of the concept of girlfriends/sisters.  It will be a whole-cloth, painted piece and it is slightly abstract, though it bears a close resemblance to the inspiration.  I can't wait to post a pic of the work in progress at the end of the week.  I am hoping to finish painting everything except the background.

I'm super excited!

This past weekend was the International Quilt Festival in Houston.  I have attended every year since I found out about it, and this was the second year that I had a small journal quilt exhibited at the SAQA booth.  I actually had two quilts in the exhibit, and to my surprise, both of them were sold.  I was so grateful for the opportunity to show some of my work, and the fact that they sold was the icing on the cake!  Thank you to those patrons who purchased my work!  I feel even more inspired and motivated to keep on creating.

Finally finished!

Back in July, (yes, July), I took on a project which was a bit foreign to me: painting a mural. It took longer than I anticipated, but wasn't as difficult as I envisioned.  I am really proud of the "Wild about Christ" mural I painted in the nursery at my church.

Art everyday! (Well, almost..,,)

At the beginning of the month I challenged myself to work on my art everyday.  I remember my mother saying, "Are you sure you want to set such a rigid goal?  I don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't happen." Well, if there is one thing I have begun to learn in this first seven months of motherhood, it is that you do what you can when you can.  I am learning to go with the flow.  Although I haven't created every day this month, I have worked on my art much more than I have in previous months. I'm proud to say that I will have two-maybe three 9" X 12" journal quilts that will be exhibited in the Texas SAQA booth at the International Quilt Festval in Houston in less than two weeks.  Now, that's something I am truly proud of!

Day One

Today was the first day of the October Challenge.  I have been working on a nursery jungle mural at my church, and today, I made a lot of progress.  I think I have about three more hours of work to go and it will be complete.  I also picked some some possible photos for inspiration and made a couple of sketches for some journal quilts.  I'd say that is a good start to my challenge. 

Challenge

I have decided to challenge myself during the month of October.  Each day, I must work on my art--even if it's just for 15 minutes.  My goal, of course, is to get to an hour every day.  Wish me luck!

I'm so excited!

I haven't had (or shall I say made) time to post lately--there's always so much going on!  This time we'll blame it on getting used to being back in the classroom after a 5-month maternity hiatus. Anyhoo, imagine my surprise when I discovered that my SAQA benefit auction quilt had sold! This was the best news I've heard in a while.  It has really fueled me to create--and not just jot down ideas and sketches in my sketchbook. 

Mariposa Series

I really enjoyed this process, so I am going to do more.  This is the first in a series of butterflies that I am making.  I made this one for the SAQA Benefit Auction which will take place this fall.  It is based on a photo of the Red Peacock butterfly that was photographed at the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, TX.

Photo Inspired

I am finally in a position to create at will.  With the baby, and then the end of the school year, and finally moving into our house, I haven't had the time or energy to bring my creative desires to fruition.  I am hoping this is just the catalyst I need! 

About a year ago, I created this quilt for my husband in honor of our first wedding anniversary.  I like to call this technique "Coloring Book Quilting".

All About Baby

I haven't made any posts in about six weeks because I've been a little busy being a mom!  My little Laila Grace was born on March 13th, and, well, I haven't had time to even think about creating anything.  Things are settling down A LITTLE now, so I can at least think about what I'd like to start on--once I have a few moments of "me time".  Wait....Is there such a thing now?

Laila's Space

Well, I've been a little busy with life in general, and haven't had an opportunity to post anything.  Laila's space is still a work in progress, but I have made a lot of progress.  So far I have made a valance, noteboard, crib bumpers, dust ruffle, pillows, blanket, name pennant and a quilt. Take a glimpse! I only have a few more things to finish, and hopefully, I will get them done before she makes her grand entrance!  If not, no worries, the main components are complete!  The rest is just gravy.

It's a new year!

Many like to make resolutions or "Goals" as I prefer to call them, when the new year comes around.  Well, I am no different.  One of my main goals is to invest more time into my creativity.  I want to do "something", no matter how small or "insignificant" on a regular basis.  This blog is my way of not only keeping track of it, but also to share my journey with others. 

As I am anticipating the arrival of my daughter Laila Grace in the coming weeks, my first undertaking for the year is all about her.  I have chosen to make all of the items to decorate her little space.  Sure, I could buy them, but that just wouldn't be my style.  Plus, I'm always making gifts for friends and their babies...why not my own. 

So far, I've done more than I thought I would at this point.  I've got a few more things to go, and as long as my energy allows, it is my hope that I get it done in the next week.  If not, I've still accomplished my goal.