Now what?

I used to write goals. I used to pick a word for the year. I don’t want to do either this year. But I do want to get some things done. Maybe I need a list. So I’m asking myself, it’s 2021 – now what?

One of the projects I’m working on is the art quilt for the Indiana SAQA CoronArt Exhibit. It’s taken me so long to even decide on what I wanted to do for this 20 x 20 inch piece, but I finally made the decision. It’s been sitting printed out on paper for the last week or so. Every day I look at it and switch out the different fabrics, trying to figure out what I want it – what will speak what I want it to say. I’ve got until the end of the month to get it finished!

Another project is the Violet Protest Project. I just found out about it the other day, even though it’s been around since August. The Violet Protest is a public effort to send 50 hand-made textile squares to each and every member of Congress ​in support of these core American values: Respect for the other, Citizenship, Compassion, Country over party and corporate concern, Courage, Candor, Compassion, and Creativity. It’s about seeing us as one country – not red or blue states.

It’s due in the mail February 1, but it’s doable if you want to join in. All you need is red and blue fabric (I had to dye some since I didn’t have any!) and make a minimum of five 8 x 8 inch finished blocks. Or if you are a knitter, you can knit the squares just as long as you use the two colors. There are some great ideas from those blocks on the website that have already been received. Here is my fabric, and I’ll be working on these shortly.

Our Indiana SAQA is also doing a sort of telephone tag challenge. We have divided in groups of 5. Each person selects a picture of something like a landscape, flower or whatever. That picture is passed to the next person who makes a 12 x 12 art quilt, interpreting the picture in her own way. No one in the group will see the original pictures except the owner of the picture and the second person. So once the second person has completed her interpretation of that picture, she sends a picture of her 12 x 12 for the next person to interpret. At the end, the original photos will be revealed to the groups. It will be so interesting to see what everyone comes up with. We will be sending our original pictures out mid month, then the fun begins. But the problem is, I won’t be able to share it until it’s all over! Darn!

I will continue the monthly Fabric Postcard Art challenge, although like this month, it will be larger than a postcard. I’ll also be making more cards with those scraps. I didn’t show you the card and ornament I made for Dave this past year for our annual tradition. To read about our tradition, click here.

Dave made us a tree topper this year. Just what we needed!

And then there is that online class I’ve put on hold to get some other stuff done, and hopefully some videos since I’ve really neglected my You Tube channel. If you are interested in me creating a video on either a tutorial I’ve done in the past or something you’ve been dying to learn, email me at lsheines@gmail.com. I’m always looking for ways to make learning easier.

This time is a challenge for all of us with COVID, but I don’t know if you have this problem, but the blues pretty much creep in this time of the year. Usually it starts in late October and lifts in March. We usually visit a sunny place for a week or so in January which helps it, but we won’t be traveling this year. But that’s okay. The blues haven’t really started to get to me until just the last few days. So today I got out my light which I use for 45 minutes in the morning until March rolls around. I’ve used it for several years now, and it seems to really help.

That’s all for right now. Hope you are having a great week.