Peace is Restored =^..^=

What makes you happy?

I mean, creatively HAPPY?  Besides the usual things necessary to our happiness like love, family, home, etc, what needs to be in place in order for your creative juices to leap for joy?  What sets your feet firmly in the direction of Creative HAPPY-ness?

An orderliness in your studio?  The privacy to create uninterrupted?  New tools and fabrics to play with?  A new pattern calling your name?  Retreating with a group of great friends?

For me, as I imagine for a lot of you, it is a combination of many things that makes me feel HAPPY in my own little quilting universe.   Probably foremost for me is the need to be IN LOVE with my current project!  But when I get too many things going - all of which I may be hopelessly IN LOVE with - I also need to have a definite sense of direction or I begin to feel like I'll spin off my wheels and out into never-never land!

After all of my moaning and groaning directional soul searching on Monday's post (click HERE if you missed it), I decided that I definitely need a better way to organize my work in the sewing studio.  So I put together a very thorough prioritized list of the projects I would like to have done in the next few months, and then I broke them down into 3 categories - Machine Projects, Applique/Stitcheries, and Quick Projects.

Pretty simple plan, but I began to feel better immediately!

What was my #1 Project?  

Hawaii Sunset!!!

I didn't have to think very long about which project I really, really wanted to work on, so needless to say I've been busily, happily, working away on this wonderful, colorful project all day today :*)  I'm hoping to add lots more of these blocks to my design wall by the end of the week :*)

I printed all the paper patterns for the flying geese and prepared the pieces for all the pink goose "wings" by cutting 2-1/2" squares and then cutting the squares diagonally.

I have to have 1,200 of these little suckers pieces!!!  Which means that I also need 600 "body" pieces, so I dug into my scrap bins of blue, red, yellow, green and brown and cut some rectangles for those :*)

I find that paper-piecing goes much more quickly for me if the pieces are cut to size before I start.  I also like to chain piece them two at a time, which saves time and thread.  These geese sections go together in no time flat!!!

Then I cut some 2" strips for the inner parts of the blocks.  I used my new Sizzix Big Shot Pro to do this job - it's the first time I've actually used it for a project!  I was nervous.... I held my breath..... but the strips turned out GREAT!!!

Here are my little red strips and geese "body" sections, all ready for my next session of Hawaii Sunset fun!!!

I put The Blue Collection at the top of my Applique list even though I have no hope of finishing it anytime soon.  It is a HUGE project and all hand done, so it will take quite a while yet.  But I'm really enjoying it right now and that's enough for me. =^..^=  Once I prep the pieces for the next block I can work on that in the evenings.  Also on that list are Vintage Valentines and Promises & Borders - both of them could potentially be done by the end of the year and will get some love in the next few months :*)

As for the Quick Projects, I have a few table toppers and other little miscellaneous projects I want to work into the schedule here and there. ....
Marita at The Quilter's Path got in this gorgeous gilded pear fabric and matching background and made the cutest little Partridge in a Pear Tree quilt - of course I have to make one!

And I've decided to join Jenny over at Sew Kind Of Wonderful in her "Curve It Up" Quilt Along.


I bought her Quick Curve Ruler several months ago because I just LOVE the exciting original designs she is putting out.  You really should go over to her site and check out her patterns - gorgeous!!!  The idea for the QAL is that Jenny will take traditional quilt blocks and "Curve" them up.  Here is her first block - a churndash....

Block by Jenny Pedigo from Sew Kind of Wonderful Blog

I think this will be the perfect opportunity for me to play with the ruler and have fun with it!  I'm still trying to decide what fabrics/colors to use so I haven't begun to make the block yet.  This is another project that has my HAPPY meter going off the charts :*)

So.... what makes YOU happy????  

I'm headed back to the Ivory Tower now to have some more fun....

Linking up with ....

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=