Bipolar 1: Creative {an art quilt series} finished!

I wasn't going to post anything from my phone, but this finish from early last week, before the computer kisses floor incident, was close to completion. Plus I do like posting finishes, so here we are.

As part of my bipolar disorder series, this art quilt is very out of order-- I wrote about #3 here then about #2 here. That's because I hand-quilted it, and I'm not very good at finding time for hand quilting.

 The idea behind the series is that I'd explore ways to cope with bipolar disorder, both for my own journey and also as a way of sharing information with others who suffer from the disease.

I'm not sure how I can achieve that second goal, but I figure I'd need to have the works first. I also figure that the works would have to include at least two big ideas. One big idea would have to impart the lifestyle changes that improve one's chances of recovery. The other big idea is to show how bipolar depression affects patients.

To that end I've been researching both types of bipolar depression. While I am studying the symptoms of both depression and mania, my main focus is on sharing recovery strategies.

Linking up with

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or Not)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict 

Dead on the floor

While visiting last week, Milly decided to go the wrong way around the coffee table. Wrong only because between Milly and her toy were a few wires. Wires attached to electronic devices that,  it seems, cannot take a little fall.

She saw the wires. Slowed down for the wires. Then powdered through the wires.

I watched the entire devastation unfold sitting as close to the electronics as they were to the floor. Maybe two feet. Surely within arms length. I didn't move an inch. My body did not functuion. My brain was working. I know this because I remember thinking, "oh, #%^") as electronics slammed the ceramic-tiled concrete floor. 

One was the new (and still under warranty) computer. The other was a cheap printer that I have threatened to slam on a concrete floor. Hard. Funny how things work out.

Guess who won. Well, at least there's still a warranty. That means I am without a type-as-fast-as-lightning computer. Two weeks the Geek said. Maybe longer the Squad said. 

This is for the birds I say. My type-slowly-with-one-finger phone annoys me. It's a different finger, but still. See you in two weeks, maybe longer. 

Bipolar 2: Structure {an art quilt series} finished!

Just as I bounce around in life, I'm bouncing from one bipolar art quilt to another. (See #3 here) At this point I have four either complete or almost there. However, par for the course, I am not finishing them in order. I'm starting them in order. I work on whichever is calling me. And that is between all the things that call me away--babysitting, parent sitting, family, sewing, and so on.

For some reason I felt a need to be very literal with this one. Structure is a best practice for living with bipolar disorder. Keeping things in order and knowing which are priorities helps in decision-making and fends off those overwhelming feelings of disorder.

Jacquie Gering had a quilt show or presentation of some kind in Houston, perhaps, a few years ago. I was wondering around extremely tired and saw a group of people sitting for this presentation. I had no idea what was going on and, truthfully, didn't care. I slipped into a chair with the intention of trying to stay awake. In just a few minutes I was sitting up, amazed. I loved the quilts. So many ideas! So many possibilities! So little structure!  

Ahh, yes. And that's where most of it all stayed. I returned home so full of stuff in my head that it got all muddled up. It happens that way every year. As I work I remember some small detail and pull it to the forefront of my thinking and play with it. That's how this quilt came about. 

Remembering one of Jacquie's motifs, the lines in "unparallel," I began thinking about how structure is important in the life of someone with bipolar tendencies. And so, here I am. 

Link Ups!

My Quilt Infatuation (NTT)

AmandaJean's Crazy Mom Quilts

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or Not)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict 

Pin It Weekly #254 (Surprise!)

"These Pins got you 18,533 impressions in the last 7 days! Be sure to claim your website and create Pins daily to grow the reach of your content on Pinterest." So that little note got my attention. I'm not certain what 18,000 impressions might be exactly, but it can't be bad. I've looked at this email, which arrives once a week, every now and again. I wasn't impressed. For the most part my Pinterest and this blog work together and somehow generate about 5,000 impressions weekly.  Yeah, 18 is a big number. Well, to me anyway. And what were the things that drove so much curiosity? Two of my quilts! Which are in my TRUNK SHOW QUILTS board! How about that. Not just something I dragged over from Pinterest to the blog and not something I pinned to one of my boards from someone else's. Nope. My own little quilts--the Harley Davidson quilt I made in the spring for a customer and "Fetch a Pail of Water," this rail fence baby quilt in blue that I made from scrap 2½" strips. This just goes to show that the surprises just keep coming when there's a quilt (or two) involved.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: CLOUDS

Aren't clouds just beautiful? All floaty and soft and colorful. I love to look at the sky. And to enjoy the clouds. Just a few days ago Richard and I were driving through a threatening storm. The clouds were pink and coral on our east and, toward the south, dark purplish gray with lighter and darker grays mixed in. 


Immediately I saw a dragon in the dark grays and Richard found a dog in the east. My dragon lasted for several minutes but his dog morphed into a bunny and then a fantastical flower that surely Dr. Suess drew out. 

Do you share such an imagination? It's a fun way to appreciate God's glory. 

Not as easy as I'd hoped, here are a few quilts that I found that might have a bit of clouds or sky in them. Then ending with a couple of pantos to finish up. 

House cleaning on Pinterest

Richard likes to watch television at night. I can't sleep with the flashing lights and the sound, so last night I decided to pin a few ideas for a friend. She's been thinking of painting a few wooden, farmhouse style signs. Well, Pinterest is not lacking in ideas for that idea! I had 41 pins in very little time.

I started with signs, pinned a few quilts as they popped up, then started editing boards. I've been thinking of renaming boards just to make them a bit more interesting and informative. Why not start at 11 p.m. while your husband is watching yet another episode of Live PD? 

The changes are subtle. I'm removing the commas, adding more words that define the board and labeling all quilting boards with the word quilt in front so they will show up together in alpha order. 

And that's been a few hours of my life. I probably have two more to go, then my boards will be consistent and more user-friendly. If you visit any of my boards, let me know what you think. Either leave a comment here or message me on Pinterest. Have a great weekend!

Pin It Weekly #253

Are you pinning this week? I am not. I've been in the studio jumping from project to project. Not really getting anything finished, but advancing none the less. Since I haven't pinned anything of interest, let's take a look at what is trending.

Hair: Balayage color

DIY: industrial design

Fall Decor: leaves

What's trending on your Pinterest?