Saturday, November 14, 2015

NaNoNag #2

Before I get to my second National Novel Writing Month nag I want to celebrate a little quilting finish line I just crossed:



I've been working for a few weeks now on this tote, which will be a holiday gift for the mother of a family friend who admired my needlework. When I began this project all I really had to go on was the mom's favorite color (purple), fabrics, laces and ribbons I bought from FancyCrazys, RavioleeDreams, and AbbyandEllie on Etsy, and some vague ideas on what I wanted to do.



I gave myself permission to do whatever I liked without worrying about rules, traditions, or what I've seen others do with their crazy quilting. Some of my ideas came out well and added to the experience library in my head. Others didn't translate the way I envisioned them, but that also helped me learn. I don't think I'll ever master a perfectly even herringbone stitch, or make a seed-beaded cretan stitch look like anything but an ornate zipper, but I will keep practicing and trying new approaches.



Part of being a creative person is the opportunity to learn and grow by doing. I can (and have) talk about my needlework all day long, but I'm not really a quilter until I'm actually doing it. That's why I go from one project to the next. Each day I spend a couple of hours being a quilter. It's not everything I am, but it's a big part of who I want to be.



Now change the quilting to writing, and consider yourself nagged.

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:19 AM

    Too true. Beautiful work by the way.
    So easy to talk about something but unless you actually do it you won't get anything accomplished.

    Hanging in there with my Nano novel but I think my plotline has strayed a fair bit. I blame it on not really knowing my characters before I flung myself into the Nano depths.

    Thanks for the nag.
    Ron B

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great job!!! Very pretty :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Really beautiful work, Lynn. I envy your talent.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful. I love beading and embroidery but I can't imagine using some of the tiny beads and stitches you do. I admire you for it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful! The giftee is a very lucky person indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ooo, pretty! You make the nicest totes.

    No writing for me today. Marketing, cover art stuff, editing (maybe). Reading... :happy sigh:

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.