coming along

I  have finally finished (I think) putting the pieces of one side of this quilt up on the wall, making blocks as I went along and moving a few around here and there so they fit.  It is finally a size that works and now the hard part begins.

Once I start sewing them together they will all get smaller, and what looks like it fits right now will  need some adjustments.  I know this from experience.  When you work like this, there are always spaces that need to be filled in; pieces that must be trimmed, and elements that don't fit together the way you visualized them.

No matter what I am making, this is the way I work and nothing, but NOTHING ever ends up exactly the same as it looks when it is in pieces on the wall.  It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle and finding it is not the same size or shape as the picture on the box.  There are pieces missing and then pieces that were not in the picture that end up making the puzzle work.  It can be smaller or larger than the illustrators visualized it being -- but almost always, it is as good or better as the picture you are looking at.  

To me, it is always a surprise (usually good) to see how it turns out.  Fortunately, Emma will not be the art critic on this piece!

So, I am leaving the "before" here while I go take time for myself this rainy, slightly icy, afternoon. I am off to get some long overdue beauty treatments - first and foremost, a trim to this overgrown foliage on my head.  If I can, I will start sewing this thing together tonight.

Tomorrow, I hope the weather is better than this because my Studio Group has an art opening in the afternoon. If the sun is out and you're in driving distance of Watchung, New Jersey - come and share it with us.  I understand it is the best show they have ever had at this major arts center. Fiber (me), sculpture, encaustic, paintings, prints, glass & ceramics, collage, mixed media.