During December 2016, which was a particularly topsy-turvy month for me with stressful events, delays and other surprises like health warnings, I learned something that was very important: The world does not end just because I can’t do or finish in time what I had planned to.
This time round I paid attention, learned my lesson, and have since been able to maintain a steady, sustainable pace…
…one step at a time
No multitasking but a relaxed focus on what I’m doing at the moment.
Simplifying decisions rather than trying to do everything at once.
Scheduling ahead, but without using this plan for putting pressure on myself.
Taking time-outs whenever necessary.
Practicing intuition by feeling inside what’s best right now instead of looking at the clock.
Going with the flow and not rushing after it or resisting it.
So although there are still three projects which I had thought I’d finish in December, I’m fine with “missing out”. They are still there, and I’ve actually started thinking that the time just wasn’t right for them.
But there’s one project which I didn’t give much thought – you know that sort of thing, at the back of one’s mind yet without perceived importance – and it kept nudging me.
One by One
In October last year I went along with the Inktober challenge, and ended up outlining graph paper all month. 😉
Because I design colouring pages, I coloured some of my Inktober drawings to see what they might look like.
The obvious next step was a textile interpretation of one of the designs. As I didn’t think of turning it into patchwork at the time of colouring, I couldn’t match the colours with the fabrics I had, but I got close enough and do like the result.
I haven’t done English Paper Piecing for a loooong time, and was looking for a mindfully-mindless hand-stitching project anyway, so I started cutting 1″ x 1″ paper templates (some of them halved as triangles) and the fabric middle of November. By Christmas I had all the pieces tacked and pinned onto a polystyrene board.
And now I’m piecing all the 1 by 1 squares together, one by one, 225 of them (not counting the triangles).
When that’s done, I’ll decide on whether I want to add some shadow with a bit of embroidery to recreate the effect I achieved in the drawing, or quilt it, or just turn it into a pillow case or wall hanging.
If anyone is interested in my Inktober designs – for colouring in but of course also for turning into a textile project (cross stitch, patchwork/quilting) – please tell me so in the comments, including what you’d like them for. I have 31 patterns, and most of them are suitable for “conversion”.
By the way, my printable Fill-me-in Patchwork Calendar 2017 (see also the previous post) is available only for two more days, until 31st January. Then I’ll take the calendar down, the JPG Colouring Images collections (Blocks or Quilts) however will remain available. Please note: The calendar as well as the colouring images are intended for colouring or testing out colour combinations for cross stitch, patchwork or quilting projects. They are hand-drawn and therefore not mathematically exact, nor are any instructions included.
Quilting Oneness 