Two New Quilts In My Life

my hibiscus is throwing off the blooms left and right and i couldn't resist getting more shots of it. i've had this plant for a few years but now when i look at it i remember my trip to Honduras.  hibiscus literally grows on the sides of the roads (and everywhere else) like a weed in that country and in so many different varieties and colors. mine is such happy colors that it's hard to feel unhappy when looking at it. i hope it makes you feel happy too.


TWO NEW QUILTS IN MY LIFE
:- D
 i haven't gotten a chance to share them with you yet but recently i was able to obtain two beautiful small quilts from the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). i felt so lucky to nab them before anyone else~!  you have to be fast on that website. i've learned that if i see something i like it must be bought immediately as they are one of a kind pieces and they sometimes go quick.


they were both made by Michele Bilyeu. Michele blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska. Offering thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join in the Liberated Quilting Challenge and make or donate small art quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!

Don't Worry Spiders . . .

 . . . I Keep House Casually

Michele's artist statement for this quilt:

"The creation of this quilt was inspired by the wonderful Haiku of the Japanese poet, Kobayashi Issa. I love the contrast of the perfection of a geisha, with the seemingly imperfect world of liberated piecing, housekeeping, and of course...the spider ;)

Viewers admire its unusual piecing, and free form shape.... and then suddenly..there are those odd little spiders in the central corner ;)"

Such is life, and all of the strange little balances, and imbalances that still create the perfection of the yin and the yang of the ever changing world of our lives.


 Let Me Entertain You

Michele's artist statement for this quilt:

"The word 'Geisha' is derived from two Japanese symbols. One stands for "art" and the other "artist." A Geisha was both an artisan trained in the highest art form of traditional Japanese entertainment, and an artist of song, dance and elegant tea ceremonies. Our misunderstanding of the geisha and her purpose in the world symbolizes so many other judgments and misunderstandings we often have of others."

finding these two gems reminded me that i have a quilt in progress for the AAQI. my pear quilt is coming along slowly, in part because i don't want to rush the creative process with this one but also because i have two quilts listed with them that haven't sold yet.

i originally made three that were all similar. one of them has sold but the other two, They Shine for You #1 and #3 have not yet sold. i think that if they don't soon i will buy them myself and see what i can do to make them more appealing.

but this week i got out the pear quilt and added some embroidery to the leaf. i embroidered it as a separate element so that if i didn't like the way that it turned out i could just create another leaf and try again without actually disturbing the whole quilt. i do like the way it turned out and today i will sew that leaf onto the quilt. i've included another tiny sneak peak of what it's  currently looking like.

this piece is not like the other's that i've made for AAQI as i decided to go all out 'art quilt' in style and see what might happen . . .

recently while visiting Dawn at Collector With A Needle i noticed that she mentioned the benefits of collaborating on AAQI quilts. when work is shared by many hands it's just not work anymore. these are small quilts but if one person enjoys the piecing, another the quilting and/or embellishing, and maybe even a third enjoys the binding process . . . it's only a matter of a couple of hours (at most) of work on these pieces. there really are so many ways to give of yourself when involved with this cause. think about how YOU can make a difference. and then make that difference.

my weekly report card for the 15 minute challenge:

tuesday, mar. 13th: sewing on the flower garden top  

wednesday, mar. 14th: sewing on the flower garden top ~ drafted, marked and began quilting the alternate blocks on the pink lemonade quilt 

thursday, mar. 15th: decorative mending/darning on wonderful husband's stocking

friday, mar. 16th: TAST (woven wheel) onto the wonderful husband's stocking 

saturday, mar. 17th: quilting on pink lemonade quilt

sunday, mar. 18th: working on some postcards 

monday, mar. 19th: AAQI pear quilt: embroidery (fishbone stitch) on leaf 

another good week although i am noticing that i'm feeling overwhelmed by too many projects being juggled at once. i need to clean up/finish a couple of things and relieve some pressure.
this week there isn't a linky party from Kate at Life in Pieces.  she's taking a spring vacation and gave us the week off. i chose to continue with the goal as it's just finally becoming a habit and i don't want to disrupt any positive brain patterning that may be going on.

recent gifts include:

• the enjoyment of two new quilts. the best quilts are made from caring hands guided by a big heart and these certainly were made from just those kinds of hands. thank you Michele~! 
• designated creative time feeling like a habit in my life
• being part of a larger 'community' that is striving to make a difference in the lives of those with Alzheimer's Disease