Color E-book Ready to Go

Woohoo! Personal Workshop: Adventures in Color is finally ready for purchase! It's jam packed with 157 pictures on 65 pages, plus a 23 page workbook, and an ink saving section. This e-book is designed to be a self-guided class, with exercises throughout. (Thus the "Personal Workshop" part of the title.)

Full details on Personal Workshop: Adventures in Color are available here. You may also want to check out this excerpt.

Upcoming Events

- Raleigh, NC, May 28-31, North Carolina Quilt Symposium (3 classes)
- Melbourne, FL, June 15, Embroiderers' Guild of America, Indian River Chapter
See Teaching and Events schedule for more details, and other events.

Next online class: Double Reverse Applique, (An Apple a Day,) June 5, 2009. Class information.

Great Online Class

We're having lots of fun in my current online class, Instant Art Quilt. The students are being very creative, and are making some fantastic quilts! Jan Moorman's piece is shown at right, in progress after two lessons. Don't you love that strong red accent?

Switching Horses Midstream

I've really enjoyed working with the shapes and compositions of Ripening, and
Ripening II. So, I decided I wanted to play with them a bit more, in a rather abstract way. This was the starting point for an interactive fabric collage demonstration, which I conducted recently.

I set the color palette and prepared the background beforehand. Then, the attendees and I spent about 30 minutes playing with the placement and size of the tree trunks, the white twiggy bits, and the orange berries. The photo at left shows what it looked like at the end of our play. We considered this a very rough draft, but I could see that we were on the right track.

I took it home and was happily placing little orange circles, when I got an idea that took me on a very serious detour. I noticed how much I liked the little bits of white and I became reluctant to overpower them with the strong berry colors. I began to think about softening the colors significantly, which for me, is a very radical departure. So, after a little thought, I completely "switched horses" and went in this new direction.

When a new idea comes along like this, I usually embrace it. Granted, it's time consuming to devote energy to one vision and then abandon it for another. But, I firmly believe that the time spent on the original idea was not wasted. Instead, it was an opportunity for me to practice and enhance my design skills. And all those orange circles? I know I'll have a use for them down the road. So, I'm now gleefully riding the new horse, and delighted to be pursuing a novel idea that excites me. Next month's newsletter will include the finished quilt.

What Would Tourists Do?

On a recent visit to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I was fascinated by the unfamiliar culture, architecture, and stark beauty of the area. Like tourists everywhere, I scurried around taking photos of all the wonderful sites. Later, I wondered what tourists in my area would be likely to photograph. Since I live in Florida, near the ocean, the answers are obvious. Yet, I tend to take my beautiful surroundings for granted. I hate to admit that, because I WANT to appreciate my environment, and to be inspired by it.

If tourists came to your town, what would they be likely to notice? Have you spent any time enjoying those things/areas, lately? I think I'll go on a little photo safari, and visit those places in my neighborhood. Care to join me?

Resources:
More Santa Fe photos
As a guest blogger on "Inspire!", I wrote about using my camera for a quick creative activity. Blog link.

Enjoy the adventure!
Ellen

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