Quilty Resolutions -- and a Word

Back in August I weighed in on the "Quilty Resolutions" I'd made, courtesy of Sandy's Quilting for the Rest of Us QR challenge.  At that point I'd accomplished 1 of 3.   As of this writing, I have made little progress toward accomplishment of the other two.  One has not yet been started, and one has had some work done on it (the hand-quilting) with plans to do more during this current cold snap (for obvious reasons: working with it on my lap will keep me warm!).

Sandy, bless her, is running her QR and Give-away once again for 2013 but, given my track record, I've decided not to participate this year.  This doesn't mean I'm going to forget all about 'em.  No way!  I've just decided that I have other priorities and those 2 projects will have to be worked in as I go.  Now that the C&G is out of the way...

Well....

• There's work to be done on a piece committed to a SAQA Western Canada exhibit; deadline: June 6, 2013.
• There are pieces to review and add to for the Annual Lacombe Art Show and Sale; deadline: mid-April, 2013.
• There's the series on trees to work on, partially for the above-mentioned sale but mainly so I can make a proposal for a solo show to either the Alberta Craft Council or Visual Arts Alberta (or perhaps both).
• There's the 2013 SAQA auction to which I should contribute (and hope that my piece will sell).

And so on.

And whatever I do has to dove-tail with my 2013 Word for the Year.  

I wasn't going to do this again this year.  I'd had "Enough" in 2011, and followed that with "Life" in 2012...However, my online Abbess, Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts, put out another challenge for a Word, and I felt a strong tug to participate yet again.

To back up a bit -- "Life" proved to be a true word for me in 2012.  Having had 'enough' the year before, I found myself with a life in 2012, living a life -- and loving a life, at long last!

The word that calls to me for 2013 is GIFT, as in giving a gift, receiving a gift, and most importantly, being a gift.  I think the seed for this word was planted when my daughter, in response to my post 'Christmas Without Presents', pointed out that perhaps a dominant "love language" for me is gift-giving.  (On Christmas she brought me one of the books by Dr. Gary Chapman in which this theory is expounded, but I haven't begun to read it just yet.)

Abbess Christine offers a free 12-day mini-retreat to help those who wish to find a word (or have one choose them)...I've been reading the posts and "GIFT" has been shouting at me daily for the past ten days so...there it is.  I will strive in the coming year -- with God's help! Always with God's help! -- to give generously to those to whom I'm called to give; to receive graciously from those from whom I'm called to receive; and to be a gift to those around me, to the best of my ability.

This means that my work must be:

• Given in love;
• Suited to potential recipients;
• Constructed with care;
• Fairly and honestly priced;
• Economically produced.

It means that my income must be shared appropriately with those persons and/or causes to whom and to which I am called to share it.

It means that my time and attention must include flexibility for sharing with those in need of it.

It means that I must remember that I too am worthy of the gift of time and attention (self-care) from me...to me.

It means, as Bonnie would say, there must be no whining about what and where and when and how I'm called to give!

Most of all, it means recognizing the gifts I've been given by the God I worship, thanking God daily for those gifts, and asking God's help to administer and apply them...each and every day.  

And where does that take us?  Back to the Light...

Let your light so shine before others

that they may see your good works, 

and glorify your Father in Heaven.

- Matthew 5:16

What's YOUR word for 2013?

"Quilty Resolutions"

On New Year's Day 2012, the intrepid Sandy posted a suggestion on her blog, Quilting for the Rest of Us.  She suggested that it might be an idea to have specifically quilt-related resolutions going into 2012.  I decided to join the participants in this little project.

Well, now.  Hmmmmm.  It's well-past the half-way point of the year, and psychologically for many of us, the real New Year begins in September with the start of the school year (even if we're a) no longer in school and/or b) no longer parents -- or never were parents -- of school-aged children.  (That said, my son is returning to school on his own ticket this fall to get a Digital Media diploma.  Does that count? :-) )

So...where am I with my QRs?  Heck, what were they?!  I just so happen to have the list handy...

1. Something New I Will Try:  I elected to play with bleach discharge on fabric.  As my kids would say, "Epic fail!"  So much so that I didn't even post about it in this space -- or anywhere else for that matter.  The problem?  Turns out the beautiful dark blue jeans I rescued from the thrift shop (broken zipper) weren't 100% cotton.  They were 86% cotton, 13% polyester and 1% Spandex.  Sigh.  Nothing discharged.  Nada. Zip. Zilch.  And as I don't have any 100% cotton denim I'm prepared to surrender, I'll have to get another pair out of the thrift shop before I try this again.
2. The Project I've Always Wanted to Do: I won't elaborate on this here, as it's a gift for someone who might just read this blog, but suffice to say, I haven't started it yet!
3. The One UFO I'm Committed to Finishing: a top that I'm hand-quilting -- sometimes hooped, sometimes free-hand, as the mood strikes.  I've made a bit of progress on it since January, but with the heat of the summer days, have done nothing on it for a good three months.  Definitely a "must get to" in September to finish it by the end of this year!  I have however been finishing some art pieces and working steadily on my C&G...so stay tuned for a 'Finished' post very shortly!