spring cleaning & playtime

I have a big green Rubbermaid bin in the basement which is full of scraps, blocks and UFOs from decades ago. What propelled me down there this morning? Perhaps the spring cleaning bug (HUH? ME?), or the desire to keep one step ahead of the housekeeper (nah - she doesn't go into the storage area). Maybe I am just retreating to therapy sewing to counteract the stress vibes that are buzzing in the air these days. At any rate, while I was pawing through the fabrics in the recesses of my basement, I came across these two before & after blocks and smiled. Then the light went on! This was a sample for a class I taught a number of years ago, called Reinventing the UFO All levels 2 days Get those UFOS out of hiding and bring them to class. Half-finished tops, random blocks and things you’ll never finish as they are. You’ll spontaneously slice, dice, add strips, and completely transform those stalled projects into beautiful quilts you never imagined you could make. What do you have to lose? The workshops were a big hit, but then my book came out and I've been teaching mostly surface design. However, this is such a fun class - and so appropriate for now, when we are tuned in to recycle-reuse more than ever that I've put it back into my class offering list. Now I have decided to do my own Reinventing project with the leftover blocks from the basement bin. Here are just a few that happen to work together. There are lots of others that don't-- this is another "what was I thinking????" piece that is godawful. I need to take it apart NOW. These last few weeks I seem to have have lost the ability to be playful; I've been too focused on making something "good" and as a result, the fun has gone away. So - fun, it is! I am not going to worry about serious art - I am going to reinvent these traditional blocks and see what happens! Here are a couple of blocks I did several years ago - I think I just sewed strips, cut them and resewed them randomly. Look at that energy!! I had a bunch of them but have used them in other pieces. This one, Forever Plaid, 18"x18" has a stimulus price of only $300. I used others in the piece I made for "Dwellings,"an invitational exhibit. I called it "I Walked my Feet off Looking for a Place to Live." It also incorporates fabric I printed with construction fence while I was on camera for Simply Quilts. Yes, it is for sale. 41"h x 35.5" and I have drastically reduced the price from $2500 to less than half of that. E-mail me if you are interested. Hmm...this post has taken on a life of its own. I was going to cut and sew tonight and instead, I have blathered on. Perhaps I should start cutting and sewing in the morning.