Seasons Greetings to all. I wish for you this year joy, peace, health and happiness. May we be kind to one another without looking for something in return. May we all be thankful for all the little things we have. May we not always want more and more and more. May our world leaders act in the best interest of all the peoples of the world. Let our world leaders act in the best interest of the planet, not their own pockets. Let there be peace on earth!

Why are there Quilting patterns?
I was having a discussion with some of my Artsy friends yesterday. And this is some of the thoughts that came out of that discussion. First let me say that none of them are quilters, but they are all creative people. I will not try and create the conversation word for word because there was a lot of gift wrap, tape and ribbon involved. I'm still not quite sure why Carmen tried to tape my arm to that box. But perhaps that will help you grasp the nutty mood we were in.

We are all the type of people that have creative and artistic ideas bursting out of our heads. And we are all very thankful for that gift. So at first glance, who needs a pattern? As we talked we came to the conclusion that not everyone is confident enough in their creative abilities to just jump into designing their own project. Pattern are guide lines to get started and spur on creative ideas.

As a teacher part of our responsibility is not to teach our students to copy or imitate our work, but to help them gain confidence in their ability to create. To inspire them to break the mold and color outside the lines. So how can I do my part to inspiring someone to break their mold? I originally made samples using my hand marbled fabrics to inspire quilters and fiber artists. Then I found some folks demanding the patterns I had used and they got upset when I told them I didn't use patterns. Next I found myself selling patterns at my booth at quilt shows. I soon discovered myself going a little nuts using patterns. It took a little adjustment but now I find myself using the pattern as inspiration for quilts, wall hangings and wearable art. I draw, embellish, stitch, paint, cut, modify and create outside the lines and hopefully inspire others to do the same. Think of a pattern as a skeleton and you get to add the flesh, hair, eye color and personality. No two people are alike so no two quilts should be alike. Step outside the line a little at first. Then go a little farther the next time. I love to hear quilters say that they changed this part around and added something to make it their own. And I really love to hear them say that this is the first piece that they created without a pattern.

In my post of November 30, 2006 I wrote of the marbling color I call Yukon Gold. I changed one of the blue colors and I like it. Little changes like that can make a huge difference and it never fails to amaze me. I love how some combinations look nice, but the right combination will let you know because it will POP! You know what I mean. Here is Yukon Gold in the my Freestyle design. You may have wondered how I come up with my color names. It starts with the background color, this one is a gold and reminds me of gold nuggets. Did you know that you can identify which creek gold nuggets are found in by the size, shape, color and texture of the nugget?

I always forget just how busy the Holiday Season can get. Mike & I finally finished the Christmas letter this morning. Every year I ask him if he wants to add anything. Well after twelve years he said yes. So it took a little longer, but it was worth it.

I also washed and ironed the new turquoise color for my web site. Just after I had updated the site with new colors and designs. I had added some fabrics that come from the manufacture in a solid color, I then hand marbled on them to give them their unique design. Well the manufacture discontinued the fabric I was using so this one is a little lighter shade. Mike insists I'm the only one that can tell the difference. So here it is in the Switchback, Get-Gel and Freestyle designs.

I just discovered web rings. What a wonderful way to share ideas, learn more about quilting, art quilting, embelishing and meet new people all at the same time. Wow! I can't wait to see more.