Thank Goodness for Sketchbooks

You know the saying, 'When it rains, it pours"?
Well, this week I received two requests to participate with quilts in some fun projects. Naturally, they both had very short deadlines... so I had to think about whether I could meet the deadlines, or decline.

As luck would have it, I knew that I had a good start on a design for each sitting, waiting for me in my sketchbook. I was able to use  a couple of the 5 minute - word sketches from the 30-day challenge last year.

So, taking these two sketches -- and turn them quickly into designs, and say yes to those deadlines.

The word for day here was 'summer', but the flowers I chose to quickly sketch that day worked nicely into a quilt design that will show up soon on a very special project.

 And for the second project I used the sketch below.
The word for this day was 'bridges'...
and since the theme of my drawing was the bridge going over the river between Paducah and IL it was the perfect start for a 'River-themed' quilt.

The design I came up with is below, and I am pulling fabric for it today... but, I am happy that I have a bunch of possibilities to kick start designing.

I'm looking forward to digging through those silk bins.

This is one of the flying geese bridges that are close by and inspired the original 5 minute sketches. This single one crosses the Tennessee River and there is a double on that crosses the Ohio.

Happy Stitchin!

Home, home, home

Hi All,
I've been home from Tucson for a couple of weeks now -- and one would think that being home was to be laid back and lazy time. (wishful thinking on my part, really)

Since my return I have been working on one largish task and two high on the list 'things to do'. The largish task has been the reworking of my website rosehughes.com.   Since my plan this year is to stop with traveling too far afield for teaching there needed to be a major overhaul. I believe my part now is done, and it is now my webmaster's turn.

The first of the high on the list 'things to do' was to get ready and actually film my episode of PBS Expressions. The filming took place on Friday and it was a blast, the photos here find me first in the green room, then caught mid-sentance during the interview. I look forward to sharing the particulars on when it will air with you all, but for now I am happy to have this behind me...

...so jump in the 'things to do' number 2.
Number 2 is working on my latest on-line workshop. To kick this year off I chose to work on taking another of my favorites & my students favorites real world workshops into cyberspace. The workshop is Color Journaling, and I have a whole week of days this week to continue with preparing and recording some of the fun activities that will be part of this class.

Today it has been snowing... lightly all day...
The perfect day for some more color fun.

Stay tuned.
~Stitch on

Making if home for the snow

I headed off to Tucson to present and teach last week. It began on a clear day -- the earlier snow had cleared out and I went off without a care. Little did I know that on my arrival at the gate in Nashville that I would discover  I left my phone sitting on the passenger seat of my car -- now in long term parking. A strange feeling of fear came over me -- fight or flight. Calculating quickly I determined that there was no way to get to the car and back through security ----

I was phoneless, in a sea of phones, tablets and computers.
Aughhh, I was looking at 5 days without phone, camera, music, book, work, and social media---could one survive?

Thanks to the wonderful hostess at the Tucson Quilters Guild I survived. She helped me take it in stride while learning how to make calls again with a credit card.

My lecture Color it Bold and the human color wheel that is part of it was well received and there are now a ton of quilters that learned about natural neutrals and the power of color journaling.

And, there were so many saguaro trees that are going to love their new homes on some amazing quilts from the Dream Landscape workshop.... but, I have no pictures.
After one class we hit fun filled Mexican folk art shops and I made purchases of tin and milagro hearts that I longed for. After day 2 of class I was witness to a postcard perfect visit to Saguaro National Park (east) which ended with a sunset every photographer drools over... but, I have no pictures.

I do have lots of new hearts and memories of the periwinkle skies that deepened with yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks.

And, my phone was right where I left it -- to no surprise, dead.
I plugged it back in and was happily chatting with folks on my drive home.

The pictures here came afterwards...
For, I definitely survived and got home with clear skies just in time for the winter storms to come through.

Baby Steps - Giant Leaps

Some days are filled with just trying to figure out which way to go--
Just what should come next...

Other day the pathway is unfurled and is waiting for you to just jump.

My 2016 has been filled with the former...
This year I am choosing to only a selective number of teaching opportunities that take me flying from one coast to another;

and I am happily planning to get at least two more on-line workshops added to the two I have already. (BTW - My Shaping Up with Fast-Piece Applique is a great way to kick start your own year and begins next week- Friday, January 15th).

With the vision boarding-Infinite Possibilities Program -- many things are popping up -- so it seems a good time to play with small little stitchings, and houses seem perfect.

Here we go: the first was just pulled together with scraps;

though even as I worked on this one I started to think of it in other ways. Monochromatic little houses - primaries and secondaries.

Who know where these will end up;
the stitching begins...
Baby Steps!

Envisioning 2016

Some years we just know are going to be filled with changes.
2016 is one of those years for me.

I have an opportunity to step back from the traveling for teaching & lecturing and to refocus more on quilting and art for myself.... and I am both looking forward to it & am a bit stumped by which direction to move in.

So, as the year turns I have joined in a couple of regrouping activities -- first was a vision board making day at a local shop. Wildhair Studios
It was great fun and pretty informative doing this as a group.

see the crossroads there?

Then since I love my daily Notes from the Universe - and Mike is offering a free Infinite Opportunities 30-day Project I jumped in. 

Things are coming together slowly, but I hope to find new ways to keep sharing with everyone -- and I love hearing what everyone else is doing, we truly work better when we work together.

Happy 2016

Here I am -- wishing you a wonderful, happy beginning to what promises to be a pretty amazing new year.

I fell a bit short on the blog challenge of writing/sharing everyday for a month. Not surprising that I made it to December 16th... then all the other craziness of the holiday season kicked  in.

There were some fun times with friends and family -- and some (ahem, ahem) wayyyyy lazy days. All were joy-filled!

Ralphie's tree has now come down and other than the few ornaments he got off the lower branches and batted around the hardwood floors in the middle of the night -- there was little incident.

Cookie making with my sister-in-law and nieces was a blast, and it payed off in LOTs of cookies -- that David & I spent quickly packaged and delivered.

Our last meeting of the mixed media group from Ephemera help me get the prototype made for the BAKE aprons; just in time to make 3 for our cookie baking day.

lemon shortbread -- one favorite

oreo mint truffles -- who knew
thought they would be way too sweet, but they were not....yumm

Lauren here is wielding the spritz cookie press that my son
electrified when he was 13 -- 27 years and still working great!

no time to make an apron for myself --
maybe next year -- got all theirs done though!

Pictures of the wayyy lazy days are of Ralphie laying about, and I think you may have seen a good many of these - or ones like them.

So now that it is Monday -- it is time to kick start the year for real.

Seeding Our Souls

Taking a bit of a break from pressing some new fabric --
Cutting will just have to wait...

The weather here last week enabled me to pretend it was spring and paint and install my garden gate. Those warmish sunny day eventual turned more to the norm for this season wet and about 30 degrees cooler.

Looking out though from my sunroom and having the RED of the gate there brings a smile to my face. Color makes me happy. I thought I completed the gate project until spring by adding a holiday wreath to the door, but lo and behold a local friend brought me over a cutting of roses to plant.

This is a cutting from her Peggy Martin-Katrina roses --

I kinda grimaced at the thought of possibly killing it off but Chris said just plant it and cover it with a jar. OK?!?

Another wonderful color source popped up in my email this morning, and if you love color and haven't found Design-Seeds, then I encourage you to do so. This was part of today's posting.

Design Seeds ---  Color Palette

bing search different seeds and stand back....
what comes up for images would fill a hundred Pinterest Boards and one photo is better than the next - interesting, colorful...

Seeding our souls comes from all sorts of directions, especially this time of year. Enjoy them all - take an opportunity to soak them in.