Last night I finished putting together the latest step of the Fire Burst Mystery quilt. This is a laid back QAL hosted by Tish and it is fun to see the quilt beginning to take shape.
I went back to work yesterday after a two week staycation. I managed to get a fair bit done but I don't have a lot I can show you yet. I finished the quilters planner top and I will be picking it up from Mary's this week so once it's bound I'll share that. That could take a bit of time because I am off to the big city this weekend to hang out with my sister. We were hoping to do that during my time off but the plans fell through.
I did manage a trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario with my daughter and a trip to the Brantford Zoo with my son and the boys. I somehow managed to pry Dwight away from work for a day off to join us. Here's a picture our son took of the four of us. You can see by the look on Dwight's face that it was worth it.
The last time I babysat the boys which was about a week before the vacation I managed to do something to my right hip and lower back. This has cramped my quilting productivity to some degree, and I didn't manage to accomplish as much as I would have liked to. I am seeing an osteopath at the moment and I'm hoping the issue will resolve soon.
I made sure I spent time outside every day soaking in the sunshine and lush vegetation. It was very good for my soul. During my time in the garden my thoughts went to creativity and what helps/hinders it in my life. I spend a lot of time quilting for others (and organizing quilting for others) and I don't take enough time to fill the well. This is an ongoing issue and one that probably most of us struggle with.
Another thing that puts a damper on my creativity is visual clutter. You would think that this one would be easier to deal with but for me it's not. Some of the clutter is a result of quilting and I decided to solve one problem I have in this area. I have been cutting most of my fabric at the dining room table and it seems that my dining room which is in the middle of the house is always a mess. I decided to move the cutting station into the sewing room and with my back issues in mind I took a trip to Ikea where I picked up a standing desk to use as a cutting table. It has a crank to adjust the table height. No more bending over a table. I also picked up a shelf intended for pictures. that has a lip at the front which I am using for rulers and a rod that I can hang things from. Here's my new set up. You have no idea how happy this little space in the sewing room makes me!
This space used to hold a bookshelf with my fabric in it. My fabric is now temporarily stashed around the room (some of it under the table). The plan for the fabric is to get shelves built in to the cupboard for fabric storage.
Another issue around creative play is finding the time for it. I promised myself that once I finished the planner quilt I would make some time for it. I'm happy to report that I'm working on it. I've been doodling around with the current challenge for Curated Quilts. No expectations around this project for me at all. It gave me some good parameters to play with and if I like the result I'll link it up. As we move into the fall and things pick up in the guild I'm hoping to keep finding the time to fill the well.
16 comments:
Your blocks look so good! Almost time to get the next set of instructions ready. Sounds like you have a wonderful staycation :) I'm totally jealous of that cool new cutting table!
Well look at me commenting in a timely manner! Yay you for the self assessment and for taking the steps to change and improve things. I hope your new set up works well for you (and you can always tweak or change it if it doesn't). Have fun visiting your sister!
Your new cutting station looks marvelous!
I hope your back continues to improve; back pain can be very discouraging. Your blocks look great and I love the photo at the zoo of everyone together. :) I agree that having an uncluttered space makes a huge difference for me, and right now my space is a bit of a disaster. Hmmm, maybe that's what I should work on before lunch!
Taking time to fill your well is such an important thing. I'm glad that you were able to spend some quiet, peaceful time in a beautiful setting and sunshine while you were on your staycation. Your change in cutting table, I think, is a positive result of that. Your new little cutting space is so nice! I'm very excited for you, Lisa!
Love your new cutting spot. Love the idea of the bar under the shelf for hanging things. Gorgeous family you have. It's important to take the time to enjoy them. They grow up so fast. Lovely blocks. Enjoy! ;^)
Lisa, I like your mystery quilt so far. It sounds like you've made some nice memories with you family. I hope your hip is healing. And you continue to fill your well. I know exactly what you're talking about. I love your new standing desk. It looks like a fun corner.
Hi Lisa! I love how your Fireburst blocks are coming out. It will be fun to see where these blocks go next! Happy Tuesday! ~smile~ Roseanne
Your cutting area looks great! Enjoying time with family is the best.
Your cutting station is lovely. Congratulations on making yourself a priority!
Very smart to get a good height table for your cutting. And I love your new little work space! So light and bright and clean and fresh. And it's all yours, just for fabric, so that when there's a pile there it will feel good instead of like it doesn't belong in the dining room. Yay for dedicated space!! :)
So sorry you got hurt. Hope you are mending well. Your new space is beautiful, and it looks like it will be good for your mind and spirit as well as your body.
I really like your new cutting station. I live in a small space and also struggle with the visual clutter. Your fireburst mystery looks great. Sweet family photo!
Great new cutting area. I spent most of this morning organizing my sewing room as it was out of control messy.
The smiles are so radiant - they say it all. Adorable kids!!!
You are so right about making a clean space. Every time we go away for a few days, I clean up my cutting/pressing area and my sewing desk and when I come back, I always think ahh! This looks good! And in a few hours it's messed up again, ha! That's a great idea for hanging tools; must remember that as my space is very small. I'm looking forward to seeing the Quilter's Planner quilt! Just LOVE the photo of you, Dwight and the boys. :-)
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