Learning Something New this year

It is a new year, full possibilities. I have a ritual I do on the last weekend of every year. Clean up the old and get ready for the new. I go through UFO's (Unfinished projects) and sort them out as to what I will actually finish (or start) and what has been hanging around giving me a guilt trip. I take apart kits I am never going to do and put the fabrics back in my stash, I make a list of projects I need (or want to do) and move the important ones to the top of the pile. I give away the half-finished projects or toss them out.

I clean up my stash, if not longer have room for fabric, it is time to weed out the pieces I am never going to use and donate them to a charity group. I know some of you are freaking out at this suggestion but think of it this way. Fabric has a life too and don't you want it to fill it's potential. Isn't better if the fabric goes to live with a charity group that with put it to good use rather than sitting on your shelf wishing it had a purpose in its little fabric life. Just a thought.

Next up is my office, I clean out a years worth of job folders. This my chance to see what patterns and ideas we came up with through the year that can be recycled and used again. I get to review the design journey we traveled in the past year and reflect on what I have learned through these projects and believe me there is always something new to learn.

This is also the time I close the books for the year and get everything ready for the accountant. I go through those mystery piles we all have that creep up in our office over the year, things we do not know what to do with or don't want to deal with. I sort them out and deal with them. This way I know 2011 is at a close. I can move into 2012 with a clean slate (literally).

Because I do this yearly, it is not so bad and does not take long. This process also is a chance for me to look back on the year and the different projects I have done. I am able to reflect on my sucesses and my failures. I am mentally making my plan for the next year as I remove the mental and physical clutter from the past year. I am not sure when I started doing this process but I have done it for years and for me it is the only way to face the beautiful unknown road of 2012 with a happy, free spirit.
This year I am tackling knitting.......

Recharging your batteries

As the holidays start to wind down and I look at my travel schedule for the next 6 months. I realize how important it is to charge our creative batteries whenever the opportunity arises. For me it was just a couple of weeks ago
when Matthew and I escaped to Sedona for a couple of days. This is truly one of the prettiest places on earth. It was a quick trip but it did the trick. So next time someone offers you a chance to escape for a couple of days just consider this a chance for you to recharge those batteries.

Be Happy

Modern Blooms for McCall's Quick Quilts

I am finally willing to admit I am not a weekly blogger. I try and try and then forget to post for months on end. Perhaps in it is like other things in life. Once you stop trying sooooo hard, it becomes easier to do. If I remove the pressure I put on myself and stop thinking about it as a task, perhaps I will do it more often.

I am discovering all kinds of things like this and attribute it to turning 40 this year. I know many people do not like to get older but I actually embrace it. I am proud of the fact that I have made it this far and I hope I have learned things along the way.

Just this year alone I have learned to go with the flow, everything happens for a reason and perhaps instead of fighting it, I should stop, look and consider what can I learn from this event my life has thrown my way.

I am also learning that everything does not have to be perfect and what is perfect for others may not be right for me.

As I enter my 40's I have a new goal to try to always work towards things that make me happy. If something comes along that I do not want to do it or does not fit this goal, I am looking at it to decide;

A. Do I really need to do this, why am I doing it and if it really has to be done, do not procrastinate,
get it done and out of the way.

B. How can I make this something I enjoy. (Certain things like going to the dentist are never going to fit here so I go back to A and get through it.) If I have to go to an event I really don't want to be at, instead of being unhappy about it, I turn it into an adventure. I dress in clothes I love and arm myself with a positive attitude. It works (almost) every time.

As the new year approaches, I will promise myself to work towards this goal of Happiness. Attitude is everything and if I want to be happy, only I can make it happen.

So on this note, I want to share with you a quilt I did for this month's McCall's Quick Quilts. It is called Modern Blooms. Here is an example of taking a task that I needed to do and turning it into something that made me happy. They loved the fabrics and left it up to me what to do with them. So I sat down and sketched this quilt out. It was pure joy to work on this design. I used my favorite method and favorite color to create a quilt that made me smile. I hope it makes you smile too.
Until Next time.....

The latest Magazine Quilts

 

Tumbling Monkeys

Feather Friends     

   Opposites Attract

Happy Days  

Wee Witchey Kitty

Well another summer is coming to an end. Usually summers are pretty slow around here, but this summer has been super crazy. It started with moving the studio and ourselves (again) in June and the work started right after that. With the economy being what it is, I am so thankful for each job that comes our way. As a Freelance Designer, it is sometime a real roller coaster ride. Well now I can show you some of the projects we have been working on for this summer. We had several magazine features that came out over the past few months and I want to share them with you, Tumbling Monkeys, Feathered Friends, Happy Days. Summer Sparkler, Peep Squeaks, Animal Party II, Opposites Attract and finally Wee Witchey Kitty. I am posting some of these here for you with a link to our website www.TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com. We still have six more magazine features coming out before the end of the year, so check back and see what's new. Take care and happy quilting.
Until next time....
Heidi

Happy Days

Happy Days are here again or so the saying goes.

I wanted to share with you our newest magazine feature, Happy Days. It is appearing in the September issue of McCall's Quick Quilts, which is coming out this week. We are (of course) offering a fabric kit for this project.
I was asked to design a "Happy" quilt for this issue. When I saw this group from Timeless Treasures, I knew this was the right group. I came across the fabric while designing the free pattern for Wendy Bently's group called "Lift Your Spirits".
I went to quilt camp (Bear Cabin Inn) in February and worked on this project. I don't know if it was the thrill of being at quilt camp or the effect of such bright and cheery fabrics but I smiled the entire time I was working on this quilt. (Even when I made a mistake and had to tear out a row.) I hope that this quilt makes you smile as well.

I would love to know if there anything you have worked on recently that just brought you pure joy!

Until Next Time....
Heidi

Little Dancers

Hello Friends
I have a couple new quilts to share with you. The first one is a simple panel design featuring "Little Dancers" spinning around the quilt top. I wanted to add a pieced element to the one border so I make little pieced Bow-Tie blocks to mix in with the ballerinas. By doing Bow-Tie Blocks instead of Pinwheel block, I added interest tot he design and cut my piecing time in half.
When I saw this fabric (from Fabri-Quilt) at quilt market, I stopped and ordered it on the spot. The Ballerinas are so cut and I loved the fact that there were a variety of dancers on the fabric. We have a limited number of fabric kits and the Little Dancers pattern is posted free on our website. This is a fun pattern for any panel (Our panel was 34-1/2" x 43-1/2"). Just replace the panel with yours and use matching accent fabrics around the center.

 

Settled in and on the road again!

Hello All,
Well, after a whirlwind month and a half, we are back from quilt market, finally moved to our new home and now in Prescott, AZ for the Thumb Butte quilt show this weekend. We are all set up and ready to go. If you are in the area, stop by and say hello. We have everything on sale. If not we just started our semi-annual 15% off sale on our website. Just use our code SM15FF when placing your order.This great sale runs for the month of June. Well until I am back in the office, happy creating.
Heidi