Goodbye 2014

I know that we are halfway through January, but it's been a busy end of year. I'm just getting around to reflecting. As I try to wrap up work on two decent sized quilts this month, I am thinking about how I pushed through the month of December half in a daze. From mid November through the end of the year, we have 4 birthdays, one of which is Riley's. The three holidays are enough in and of themselves! I'm tired.

On a personal level, I started 2014 with surgery and recovery. It was a tough start. Tony lost his Mom in the spring and my dear cousin, Jeff passed this fall. Tony's business took the hit of three of his clients shutting down for good. We buried our cat, Maddie out under the trees this year too. Our son Peter moved permanently to Florida, the first child to move far away. Quite a few of our plans went awry this past year and there were plenty of sad, difficult and teary moments. I must say, I am not sorry to see the year gone! 

However many challenges we faced, there were some bright spots for me, a lot of them tied to my studio. I became a SAQA Co Rep in early summer, working with Sue Bleiweiss to set in place two upcoming exhibitions in our region. Even with time constraints, I completed 5 pieces in 2014. Mariposa showed with the Butterflies and Their Kin exhibit in Texas in the spring and continued on to other venues. Nancy's Garden showed at the Whistler Museum this summer. I got a new addition to my studio, an HQ16, which has made the world of difference in my quilting.

There are still three, black furry, mischievous little elves (kittens) in my studio space. Blue, Bing and Teensy are now 9 months old and still wrecking my workspace daily. Left by their feral mommy, they are now part of the family. I got my first rejection letter this year with Queen Bee but she is so awesome I don't half mind. I am working with a mentor this coming year in the hopes that I will learn some business skills. The program was set 

up by the SAQA MA/RI region. In the latter part of the year I focused on setting goals and doing some much needed paperwork.

The last few projects of the year began with a blast from my past. I did much of my learning how to sew and construct as a teen making dolls. I thought it was time to get back into it, so I made Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden for my granddaughter Riley's Christmas present.

She came out pretty cute if I do say so myself!

After Christmas I returned to a UFO that I wanted to complete. I had done most of the hard part with the markers already. All it needed was some stitch work and a border. Below is the completed Monumental.

MONUMENTAL

20" x 27"

December, 2014

Commercial fabrics & batiks, silk background; fused & machine stitched; overdrawn with fabric markers

$750.00

I got some great Christmas gifts this year. One of which was markers and a sketchbook. It's tiny so I can complete my sketches quickly and move on to my stitching. I hope to use this sketchbook as a precursor to a body of work called, "In the Garden".

So goodbye to 2014. Hold on to your hat 'cause here comes 2015 with a huge bang!

The dragon and the wolf are calling my name. They are both neck and neck, as I work in a frenzy to get them done and photographed by January 31. Wish me luck! (Progress and pictures will be coming soon)