On a Lighter Note

Gosh, I've been dragging myself around these days!  I won't go into all the reasons; the U.S. election results, the sombre marking of Remembrance Day, the grey skies...

Just let me say I've had to have pep talks with myself to get off social media and back on track with both art work and gifts for Christmas.

This morning, three new minis made their way to Gracie D's down the street.  The first two are mono-prints that build on what I learned early this year as part of the "Mono-print" challenge for the 15 x 15 Group:

Dining Alone (C) 2016

Dining Alone - Detail

Lunch Meeting - (C) 2016

Lunch Meeting - Detail

And the third was the most successful result (thus far) of my experimenting with white-on-white fabric as a 'resist' for paint -- based on an article in the October/November 2016 issue of Quilting Arts magazine: "White on White You CAN Resist!" by Joanne Sharpe.

When I saw the underlying fabric for this piece over at my LQS, I just knew I had to buy some to try, because I was sure it would look like falling snow.  My first efforts were done on a piece of it that I washed.  One sample was so bad (my painting skills, not the technique) that I threw it out.  The other rests quietly in my "Samples" binder.  And the third...well, I rather like it, and when Gracie saw it she did too.  :-)

Snowy, Snowy Night (C) 2016

Snowy, Snowy Night - Detail

The next 15 x 15 Group 'reveal' is at month-end; my piece for the theme, "Motion", is finished -- except to sew down the binding.  This one, somehow, didn't want to be finished with a facing (my preferred method these days)...it called for a bias binding with mitred corners!!  I gamely got out my copy of The Quilter's Ultimate Visual Guide  -- my 'go to' reference for bindings -- and managed to get the job done this morning.  Phew!  :-)

Next up: some quilting "television" (The Quilt Show), more Christmas knitting...and maybe a short jog.  Oh -- and I'm linking up with Nina Marie over at Off the Wall Friday, before I leave you with the musical question...

What are you doing creatively to lift your spirits today?