She

I am busting with pride,  in my daughter.  She not only brought home a report card with a 91 overall average,  but also joined us at Thanksgiving in a skirt she made all by herself.    I am very thankful for her.  She is a really good kid,  even as she acts more and more like teenager every day.   She is intelligent, compassionate, creative,  has a great sense of humor,  and makes me happy.    My hubby is paranoid about her image getting on the internet, so I wont show you a photo,  but I think she is beautiful-  inside and out. 

getting inspiration from others

Last Wednesday at guild,  Pat Pauly was our speaker.   I was familiar with her work and was excited to hear what she had to say,  and see some of her work up close.   She did not dissappoint,  with over 300 slides and a sharp wit, the discussion moved at a pretty quick clip.  Her sense of historical perspective on art quilts kept both the traditionalists and the art quilters equally interested.  The the quilts came out,  and although I thought I had known her work, I was totally enthralled by them in person.  The textures just don't read in reproduction,  and the scale didn't come through either. 

From her lecture and story,  I have taken great inspiration,  and since then have developed several new workshops for venues I have not taken advantage of before,  gotten much of the quilting done on Beautiful Valley,  and been totally recharged.   Imagine what could have happened if I had taken the workshop?  

Style, series, and samples

This weekend, my DD asked me to help her make a skirt.  We went to the pattern books,  and I showed her how to really look there fro something appropriate,  bought two,  and one that I will have to help with alot for next years Halloween Costume,  and came home.    We got the pattern prepped and using some cotton I had got her first garment cut out.    I am really happy that this is happening,   but all my studio time got eaten up.     I have a list of things for the Shoppe a mile long, and the holiday gifts,  this year I need 18 of them.     

I am however still thinking about the series vs. style question,  and I think that working with DD has offered some insight.   She flatly refused to use any fabric or pattern that she did not love.   She wants to learn to sew because the things she wants to wear are not available off the rack.   Her colors are out of style,  her taste is generally out of price range,  and so,  she will get exactly what she wants this way, and she is willing to work at it.    No compromises.   

I have been simplifying,  sticking to written pattern,  and using trendy colors that I would not otherwise, in order to sell a fabric,  pattern,  or teach a workshop more easily.   Maybe that is the mistake since most of my output is class samples.    It may be a better model to run fewer workshops using projects and materials that I love,  and not skimping on the extras I seems to always want to add,  than to run tons of workshops that I am only partly excited about.    Those of you who teach,  what do you think?