Just for me!

I have decided this year I am not playing.  Not joining swaps, or round robins, or other group projects.  Picture a spoiled six year old pouting and stamping her foot!  Somewhere there exists a picture of me in that pose, but I couldn't find it.  I admit it, I was that child. I bet all who have spent time with me are shocked.

Anyway, the reason I'm holding my breath and saying no is that for years I have been putting projects I want to do just for the fun of it on the back burner.  You know how it goes- I'll do that one as soon as I get the calendar quilt made, or as soon as I finish the challenge, or that quilt for so-and-so's birthday.  So this year I am going to get them out and do them.  Just for me.  Selfish quilter year.  Think I'll actually do it?

I got a small start on it Monday.  I got out Pat Ferguson's "Zen Quilting Workbook", which  I bought over a year ago, and made this little quilt! 
For those who don't know, zentangle is an art form created by graphic artists Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts.  I started doing it about 5 years ago.  I have always doodled, but this is a little more than that.  And I believe practicing the repetitive patterns involved in doing it has improved my free motion quilting!  I was not surprised to see people making quilts using this technique! 

This is the original "tile" I used for the quilt.  (sorry I didn't rotate it to be in the same orientation)
Some of the lines and darker areas are colored in with the same pigma pen used to create the original. 
I don't know what I will do with them, but I will do more of this- maybe on some of the beautiful hand dyed and painted fabrics I just can't bear to cut into. 








The "green" tip this week involves sharing.  Do you read a lot of magazines?  Get sucked into buying it at the grocery store when you picked it up to pass time in line? Tear out a recipe pr two and the rest goes into the recycle bin ( I hope).  Before you toss that magazine, why not share it?  My local library has a collection box for sharing them, as does the college where I work.  Give them to your child's (or grandchild's) teacher for use in art projects or other classroom assignments.  Take them to a senior center or assisted living facility.   Get the most out of them before they get recycled!

I am grateful for:
Eating real food again
An exciting Superbowl game
Knowing when to ask for help
How much my boss appreciates the very little things I do
Settling on a plan