Focus Tips from Another Blog

Hi again, I just added to my list of blogs that I read. I follow Elizabeth Barton because she is so wise as well as talented. Recently Elizabeth made a list of what to do to stay focused. You mean someone of her caliber has the same problems as I do about not getting distracted by the cats or the minutia of life? I agree with her totally that this is how we can manage to get creative work done. My newest trick is to leave work out so that next time I walk by I can just pick up and go on--no preliminaries to slow me down. That's exactly why tonight I got the rest of my strips cut as I watched Charlie Rose. Have you heard Calvin Trillin talking about his epic poem. Deliciously funny! And tomorrow I'm ready to start sewing.

I had a little adventure today. I had to deliver proof of my mom's marriage to Social Security. They wanted the original document which was handwritten and stamped officially 65 years ago. It's yellowed and fragile since this was written on war-time paper in Poland, so I hand-carried it instead of mailing it in. I finished my errand in a heavy downpour and decided my reward would be a visit to a quilt shop. Only I don't really know Napa that well yet. Long story short, my usual sense of direction failed me and somehow I wasn't landing at that mall. I was stopped at a light when I decided to give up, looked to my right and what do I see but Hancocks! At a time like this, any fabric shop will do. It was fate. They had a batik from India in the colors I'd been looking for. A year ago I had bought an African batik that is purple with areas resisted to brown. The large spots are overwhelming for my short body so I've been looking for something else to balance the "weight" of the print. Here it was, the answer to my needs! Don't you just love that kind of serendipity!


Well, now I've scanned it in for you--and it still isn't right, the bright light of the scanner shows me how the color is different, too pink. What do you think? I'm thinking a third fabric, maybe piping, will help. Maybe I'll have to do some surface design directly on the spots. Both the work and the idea will take time. Overdying is another idea. I've added a shred of a yellow/brown/green and it seems to deflect from these two and go off in a whole new direction. Yes, this is usually how it goes for me--that's why it can take me five years to finish a wearable art-style jacket!