Tag: Inspiration

Living in my season

One of my favorite authors is James Clear, which is why you see a lot of his quotes on my “Monday Motivation” posts!!

One my favorites is “Life is a series of seasons, and what works in one season may not work in the next.

I am almost finished with my first “season” of 2025….tax season!! I am hoping to be completely finished with it by April 27. Why the strange date?

My guild retreat starts on the 28th and I want to feel free and easy while I am there!

The second season of 2025 will run thru June 30th and includes 3 weeks in Africa!!

So the question here is….”What can I accomplish in this short 2nd season??

The first thing on my list is the Cherrywood Challenge. I have been looking at these fabrics…..

….and thinking about ideas, and I am ready to make a start!!

What next??

As I mentioned in yesterday’s inspiration post, I have circles on the brain and it is time to scratch that itch.

As I was scrolling Facebook, I came across an advertisement for “Sew Kind of Wonderful”. I have seen a lot of their designs and this one took me in…..

But I like it even better when you take all of the prints out of it…..

So, now I am thinking about making an “Attic Window” quilt. I purchased the pattern, mostly to get tips for how to make the block.

So fast forward to this morning….. I am at the gym, watching quilting shows, and a woman was talking about a pattern to use Layer Cakes that are almost too pretty to cut up. My mind went to this one….

….full of peacock colored fabrics.

I then remembered the panel that I won with the Layer Cake…..

Now I am wondering if I can add some of these fabrics…..

….with the “Attic Window” pattern and turn this into an amazing quilt.

I think THAT is going to be my second project for this season!!

I will probably make a start at the retreat and see how it goes!!

Stay tuned!!

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One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..

Are you bored?

For years, I have followed the podcast of Cal Newport (Deep Questions).

One of his basic principles is that, in today’s world, we seldom give ourselves time to be bored. It is too easy for us to be CONSTANTLY amused and entertained.

As I have mentioned before in the last few weeks, I am struggling to figure out what I want to work on once my “busy season” is over. Thankfully, that time is quickly approaching.

Maybe I need to spend some time being bored….sitting without anything in my hand or my lap….and just let my mind wander and enjoy.

My Guild retreat is coming up at the end of the month, and I am looking forward to spending some time in MY Swing…..

…enjoying the fluffy clouds, the happy ducks and just staring into space!!!

After all, last May I came up with the “Summer of the Scraps” idea while sitting here.

Who knows what this year’s “boring afternoon” might birth!!

I can’t wait to find out!!

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Drawing…..or quilting?

Have you noticed how much Zentangle Drawing and Free-Motion Quilting have in common??

Last week I posted about quilting a “Square Spiral” design…..

….and I was quickly informed that it is also called “Paradox” in the Zentangle world!!

Now, I follow a number of artists on Facebook….all sorts, including a few that specialize in Zentangles.

So, I wasn’t surprised when this popped up on the “Drawing Techniques” group…..

….and number four is my design!!

I know that all of these designs can be easily drawn, but now I want to turn them all into FMQ designs.

There are 66 designs here….. that might be a fun challenge!! Maybe piece a simple top from solid fabrics and add one design in each block……

What do you think?

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For Free-Motion Quilting ideas, be sure to check out my YouTube channel…… https://www.youtube.com/c/francesquilts/videos

Crossover inspirations!!

I love to look at other artists’ work and see quilt inspirations in it!!

This photo appeared on Facebook and I was immediately reminded of a quilt…..

The artist is Siobhan Allen and you should really check out his website…..

Sacred Art in Stained Glass and Mosaic

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“Inspiration Wednesday” is my continuing and ever-growing To-Do List. Maybe they will inspire you too!! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single one!!

3-D….Oh my!!

My friend Andrea posts a daily blog that you should REALLY check out!!

A few weeks ago, she and her bell-ringing group visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. One of the exhibits was “Light Bloom”, an installation of sculptures by HYBYCOZO. They are laser-cut metal boxes that are lighted inside.

The first one that she showed caught my eye…..

Wouldn’t it be amazing to make a quilt look like one of these boxes?

OR even make something along the lines of the designs on the floor??

Yes, Andrea….you said in your post that I was already drooling and you were right!!

HYBYCOZO is the collaborative studio of artists Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk. Their work is typically illuminated and celebrates the inherent beauty of form and pattern and represents their ongoing journey in exploring the myriad dimensions of geometry.

If you have a few minutes, check out their website, and especially their gallery….

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In this blog, I post stories about creativity, techniques, tools of the trade, and lots more about the wonderful art of quilting. If you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to be notified of each new blog as it becomes available.