August Creativity Challenge

My project is not entirely done but I wanted to post what I have before the rest of the month slips by. If I can get my body to cooperate I will probably have it finished in the next day or so but just in case...

The creativity prompt for this month was

Artwork by A Creative Dreamer, the instigator of these challenges.

My first reaction was sheer panic. I didn't have a clue what to do with that topic! The more I thought about it, however, the broader the application appeared to be. I mean, you could do anything from the transitioning of the seasons through the year to the transition of children leaving the nest (or coming back) or the ever so challenging female transition of fertility to infertility. Transition means change, and life IS change. What at first appeared to me to be a rather limited topic turned out to be limitless. That's a challenge in and of itself.

Eventually it occurred to me that there is a transition that millions of us will face and for which we currently have no vaccines, no concrete defense against, or the shadow of a cure. I am speaking of Alzheimer's Disease.

I wanted so badly to come up with a Priority Quilt to donate to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative earlier in the year. It's been too long since I've made a quilt for that project but I just hadn't been inspired. This challenge provided that inspiration. Thank you June.

As much as I wanted to do this, I was afraid my ideas wouldn't come together until it was too late. Seriously, I don't think a day went by this month that I didn't think about this challenge in one way or another. I had all kinds of ideas for other projects that I finally discarded when the concept for this quilt turned up.

It was the transition Alzheimer's patients go through - from fully functioning adult to an entity completely dependent on others for any kind of existence - that I wanted to portray. I suppose you have to be a quilter to "read" this quilt top and get the message easily, but if you start at the upper left and read the rows the way you would the page of a book you'll see the transition. (I hope.)

This is only an 8" x 12" quilt. I've used 4" blocks to create three rows. In the first row of two blocks (below) things are fine, normal. I'm imagining a quilter who travels, plays the piano, does other crafts perhaps.

Then in the second row of blocks mental abilities start to break down, to fragment and disintegrate. The Hellbucket print makes me think of the times when a normally mild mannered person will become suddenly violent or irrational. The sheet music has become disembodied notes. Stories ramble on or get repeated (etc. etc. etc.). Love still shines through unexpectedly.

The final row of blocks is a Broken Dishes block in blacks and grays, then a Flying Geese unit and a variation of the Rail Fence for the flat line at the end of mortality.

I hope this is not too depressing. The problem is that it's altogether too true and we currently have no way to combat this disease. That's why it's so important that we come up with ways to fund research and demand that our government leaders address this health care crisis in the making. I'm doing what I can in making and donating little quilts to be auctioned off to raise money for research. I hope each of my readers will find some way to address this issue themselves. Either make a quilt or buy a quilt from the AAQI website (during the next auction or on the Quilts for Sale page). Donate money directly if you like. Write to your representatives in Congress. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors. DO something. Please. I could be the next victim. Or it might be you. Or someone you love.

Unexpected Trips

I've been out and about more this week than I probably have in the last month! I had the opportunity to go out to DD's house a couple of times. On one trip I also had the opportunity to stop and take a couple of pictures. I couldn't get out of the car to look for the best angle for a picture but this one wasn't too bad.

It's pretty hard to get a bad shot when this is what you have to work with. ;- )

I got to play a little Peek-a-Boo on one trip.

Yesterday I got really bold and daring and ventured into JoAnn Fabrics, Michael's, and even Target. I was also in my favorite thrift shop briefly. The marvelous thing is that, in spite of the strong fumes I noticed in the big retail stores (through my mask with two filters), I don't appear to have been affected by them. Certainly not as seriously as in the past. Which begs the question, what was different this time? Have I healed enough to be able to go shopping again, at least once in a while? Was it just a fluke? What do I have to do to make this magic happen again???!

The most fun part of the trip was seeing all the new Halloween stuff. I don't want to see Christmas before November but I'll take Halloween any time of the year! Michael's had the most on their shelves (I barely looked at JoAnn's because I wasn't sure at that point how sick I would get). I resisted as long as possible but when I saw this ribbon I had to have it.

It was all of $1.99 so it wasn't a big deal but it opened the door for other goodies. I don't have pictures of my other purchases. There is a feather wreath in fall colors and a little black owl with an orange glitter breast. It's going to be fun to figure out where best to show him off. :- )

It Was One of Those Weeks

Parts of it were fun and good, but most of it was challenging. The highlight of the week was the little bit of time I got to spend with my granddaughters. Here's the littlest one checking out my car from the driver's seat:

That's actually a dog leash across her lap, not the seat belt. One twin is scooting/crawling now, the other can sit by herself. We do not have identical twins here! It's fascinating to see and hear about their developments. Both have evidence that teeth are on the way. They're six months old now.

It felt like precious little sewing was getting done in the beginning of the week. And actually, precious little sewing was being done! But I managed to put away the batik yardages I'd had out to make the panel for D~'s quilt. Then I tried to tidy away some fabrics that had been out even longer. Some got put away, some didn't. I cut patches from a few and then sat down and made these:

One thing led to another and before long I also had these four liberated log cabin blocks up to 8.5."

I spent yesterday making more 6.5" liberated log cabins. I'll have to show them to you another time. I found myself slightly frustrated that I could not come up with a plan for these blocks. Which is silly; why do I have to have a plan for them? Why can't I just enjoy the process of making blocks? So this morning I made the decision to not make a decision about how these blocks are going to be used. I'm going to try to just enjoy the process and not think about the future.

In any case, right now sewing scraps seems to be all I'm up for, for whatever reason. The mere thought of trying to create a more orderly or meaningful quilt is overwhelming, even though there are a couple I'd really like to make (and one I promised to make - fortunately it has an open deadline). Guess I'm just in the resting phase of the creative cycle. I haven't even been able to bring myself to see what my blogging friends are doing these days. Know that I have not forgotten you - I just don't have the energy to visit at the moment. :- )

But Wait, There's More!

C~ went back to the Fair and look what she found:

This is my Christmas Round Robin quilt in the Group Quilt class. The central panel was made in rows by about half a dozen members of my local quilt guild several years ago. Eventually I made the sampler blocks that make up the borders, set it all together, and had Heather quilt it for me. Apparently we done good - that's a blue First Place ribbon covered up by the white Best in Class rosette!!!

I sure picked the right year to enter the Fair! Reading the judge's comments was interesting. She had a form on which she could make a check mark for 'fair,' 'good,' or 'excellent' for design, use of color, use of fabric, piecing technique, quilting technique, and finishing of corners and edges and the binding. The "binding is perfect" on this quilt and it "lays flat, corners are square." Meanwhile, on my Fungly she pointed out that it doesn't lay flat and the binding is only fair. Hmm. Maybe I'll go back and have a closer look at that. Her one positive comment on the Fungly was that she loved the backing. The backing is mostly one piece of fabric, bordered by something completely unrelated. She had to dig deep for that one! ;- )

Winning two rosettes and two blue ribbons is a wonderful experience. I've never done so well in any show I've entered. I want to thank everyone for your warm congratulations too. I've had a rough weekend health wise but I've read and been lifted by your comments.

Since I last showed the starts of a new batch of scrappy blocks I've managed to get 12 of them up to 6.5 inches but that's about all I've done.

We enjoyed our visit with family from out of state. Now that they're gone and the Fair is a thing of the past I have to figure out or decide what I'm going to apply myself to next. I admit to being a little bored with the crumb blocks (although they will be great as leaders and enders). I'm not quite ready to assemble another quilt out of orphan blocks. I've used up most of the bigger blocks I had in my stash and it takes more of the smaller blocks to build a quilt of any size obviously. So we'll see what bubbles to the surface over the next couple of days...

At the Fair

C~ went to the County Fair with her husband. They toured the quilt exhibits and took a few pictures. Here's my "Souvenirs" quilt:



Look what's pinned to the lower right corner.

That's a red ribbon - second place in the machine pieced category! Holy cow!

And then there's "Cosmic Goddesses."

Two ribbons!!! A blue for first place in the category and a Reserve Best in Class for the whole class!! I am stunned. And thrilled.

Guess I have to quit trash talking my work now. ;- )