Joni Beach

December 3, 2011December 8, 2011

In the Studio~”It’s Back to the Drawing Board!”

Post-Thanksgiving has meant renewed time in the studio this week. Yesterday when turning on my sewing machine, the light on the panel was too dim to read and I almost panicked. On no, the computer’s main board has gone out! How would the cursor and light just quit working with no warning?…Then I discovered a little button on the side of the machine that I never knew existed–after years of sewing! When it was turned, the panel immediately lit up and was visible. Wow, such relief and no more excuses…

Finally, back to the quilting of the Lifeweaving wall-hanging. After repining and smoothing the black strips, I am working my way from the middle to sides in each direction. Using a tiny zigzag stitch over the edges is working well to connect the strips and add texture to the design.

I tend to work on several pieces, in different stages of the design process, at the same time. So, another project is the yellow flower design. The inspiration for this art quilt is this photo taken in a garden this summer.

I love the colors and the pattern on the underside of this yellow bloom…Fabrics are being auditioned for the background, as well as the flower applique to be layered onto it…

At this point in the design process, colors are considered—Should they be realistic?…abstract? Also, decisions on size and scale must be made—Should I enlarge the pattern?

After a great holiday and much activity, it has been good to rest and focus in the quiet of the studio.

New goals have been set,

new inspirations have been gathered,

and it’s back to the drawing board…

Thursday In the Studio – The Final Stages… (jonibeach.com)
Thursday In the Studio…”Simple Gifts” (jonibeach.com)
Studio on the Porch~ (jonibeach.com)
Goals…Discouragement or Motivation? (jonibeach.com)

November 29, 2011December 8, 2011

Thanksgiving, Family and the Circle of Life…

Like many families, my family has a reunion during Thanksgiving week. People travel from many states to attend. Over the years we have watched our own children (my parents grandchildren) grow up–and this week we had several Great–grandchildren, and counting! In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, we celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and other special events…Each year it becomes more apparent how important this time has become for all of us, from the older folks down to the younger members of the clan.

With a large extended family and members living all over the US, as well as other countries, it is a time of catching up and the renewal of relationships. We get to visit with the people who share our common ancestry and history. These are the people who can tell the family stories that will be passed through the generations, forming a familial bond. It allows a glimpse of the circle of life–for example, once it was my siblings and I who were the children playing with the cousins, now the children are our grandchildren! And, that seems quite remarkable…

As the Thanksgiving week ends everyone travels back home and…

Leaving with them are…

memories of shared activities…

good food…

and reminders of our many blessings–

That there truly is a circle of life.

A Little Thanksgiving Nostalgia (mysingingkitchen.wordpress.com)
Thanksgiving is special to me. My family (americanheartassociationcharlotte.wordpress.com)

November 20, 2011December 3, 2011

In the Studio…Reorganization

It’s a wonder how reorganizing a studio space can give a different perspective and encourage creativity. I guess it gives a sense of newness, of new possibilities, or a realization that there is more than one way to do things. I have been out of my studio for a while and as things are moved back in, I am rethinking the use of each area and what it is used for.

For example, the design area now has a table that is handy to spread out fabrics, books, and sketching supplies or it is great to use as a temporary office with the laptop and a lamp.

Across the room, by the design wall is a good place for the cutting table with patterns, rulers, scissors, and the pressing station is nearby. On the other side of the design wall is the construction area with machines, reference books, threads, and notions.

Perhaps, most important to reorganizing is de-cluttering the space and rearranging books, fabrics, and tools. I’m trying to decide how to store my quilting fabrics…folded on the shelves by color?… loose in wire mesh baskets? Katie Pasquini Masopust in her book, Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter, suggests sorting fabrics by color–yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, and green–then sorting each into 7 values, in a range from lightest to darkest. This will take some more thought and experimentation to discover what works best for me…

Of course no one says a studio has to stay neat and organized! But sometimes it feels good to begin with a blank slate of sorts…In returning to the studio, I have a new commitment to the goals made earlier in the year.

I have a new perspective and am ready to work!

*Happy Thanksgiving this week to everyone!*