Being inspired!

Last Saturday after our Guild meeting, members of the museum quilt guild were able to enjoy a class with Janet Root, teaching "Liberated Quiltmaking", using Gwen Marston's methods. I was hesitant at first. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, thanks to my grandmother. So making blocks where you cut without a ruler and don't measure and it's ok if pieces don't match exactly was a bit outside of my comfort zone. When I read the book, I though it just looks like careless piecing to me.
But once I got started I had a blast!

This is what I accomplished in class.









And this is the collective work of the class at one point.














I couldn't wait to get back to it at home. But I wondered what I was going to do with my blocks. It was up to each student to find a layout she liked. I didn't see any reason I would want this as a wall hanging for myself, so I started pondering possible uses for them. AHA! I have been wanting a cover for the open shelves I keep in my "studio"/ guest room- both to cover the mess when company comes and to protect the fabric the rest of the time! So, I am making four panels (the wall side will get plain fabric) I dug through the orphan blocks I had to find some fillers and this is what I have so far.

This will be the top- like a runner.












This will be the front panel.




















Each end panel will have a tree. (but not an antenna)

















The shadows in these are the quilt pinned to the wall behind the layer of batting I was using as my design wall. (Sadly that is another UFO) The purple and teal in the last one is my door curtain, not part of the panel

Meanwhile, I've been walking a bit this week, in an effort to get rid of a little extra "cargo" I seem to be carrying these days. I always bring my camera with me, since one never knows what one may find! This is some kind of wild onions that grow everywhere. Aren't those curlicues wonderful???
The flower at the top is called "Trillium". I used to see red ones in my Gram's woods, but now all I see are the white ones. Nearby, in the same woods, was a nice patch of Dogtooth violets.



















I am grateful for:
Time to spend in the garden, where I can finally say it looks like I'm gaining on the mess!
Friends who understand me, put up with me, support me - and time to play with them!
Time spent reading this last week. I finally finished "Under the Dome"!
(sounds like I had a lot of time on my hands, doesn't it?)