Thursday, January 05, 2012

Uggh! Back to work! Finally.

2012 is already 5 days old and I've been slacking for months. I lost 2 really close friends in the last 3 months and struggled through the holidays without them. I didn't feel like decorating or celebrating in any way but when you have children you don't really have a choice, so I did the minimum-- a Christmas tree and small angel wallhanging on the front door. My husband did all the shopping and planning and he did a wonderful job but it was still hard.

To be completely honest, I have been barely functioning lately. I'm sure I have disappointed several people but they have been so kind and understanding not to show their disappoinment. Grief is a strange thing. You just don't know when it will hit or how it will affect you. It can be crippling if you let it and coming back is hard but, as I've been told, "Life if for the living.", so its time to get on with the business of living.

There are plans to be made, classes to teach, shows to vend and new designs to be sewn. When I was on Facebook a couple of days ago I posted a picture of a quilt design that I have been playing with and waited to see what people thought of it. One of the groups I belong to on FB is Quilt Guild and there are a lot of wonderful, creative people who are generous enough to take time to offer suggestions and help. Over the course of 2 or 3 days I got opinions and suggestions and the process was very interesting.

This is what I started with:

I won't bore you with all of the changes in between but if you want to see them they are on the Quilt Guild page of FB.

This is what I ended up with:


I'd love to hear what you think about it, too, if you've got a minute!

Happy New Year! I hope its a good one for all of us!


7 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my very BFF 7 years ago, and I still miss her so much. It's a hard time to walk through, but I am thankful the Lord gives strength and peace during these times. I pray you will have a blessed New Year.

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  2. Wow! Just changing the color of those four center pieces really makes the stars pop. I can also now see a secondary pattern around the outside, sort of a circle. I love it!

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  3. Thanks Happy Cottage, its getting easier but there are some days when it just sneaks up on me. With my aunt, its harder because she was actually younger than me, we grew up together, lived together while we were in high school and I was one of her caregivers the last couple of years and I spent 4 days a week with her. On the days I wasn't with her we spoke on the phone so she has left a big hole in my life. Maybe getting back to work will fill part of that hole. Thanks for your prayers!

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  4. I can understand your pain. I lost my Mother,husband,and son all in a 4 year span. The pain gets dull after time but dosen't completely go away. My thoughts go with you.
    On a happier note- I love your 2nd design! I wish I could think of such pretty designs. I haven't learned to think out of "the box".

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    1. Oh, Kathy, I'm so sorry for your loss. You're right about the pain getting dull. Its been about 4 months since my aunt died and I've stopped crying every day (I'm down to a couple times a week, lol.) I can't imagine the pain of what you've endured. Thanks for your thoughts and taking the time to leave me a comment. I'm sure you could design something just as pretty as anything I've done. For me, I think I design so many designs that every once in awhile I HAVE to have a winner! Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

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  5. I actually like the first one, but LOVE the second!!! It has so much motion added, and I like the middle shaded differently! i am a paper piecer too! love your blog!

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