“Rummaging through the cupboard like a wartime surgeon frantically searching for the right bandage, Peter swept aside Yogi tea, and Harmony Blend, though he hesitated for a second over camomile. But no. Stay Focused, he admonished himself. He knew it was there, that opiate of the Anglos. And his hand clutched the box just as the kettle whistled. Violent Death demands Earl Grey.”
Still Life
Louse Penny
Over my lovely winter break, I had the opportunity to read more, as evidenced by the quotation above, and I was enormously pleased to find that gem in a mystery I was reading. Earl Grey is my nightly respite, and I think it is perfect for all of life’s ills, though we all hope to avoid violent death…one cannot drink Earl Grey if one is dead.
Finished Christmas Quilts ready for delivery!
My Winter break was more than lovely, it was a much needed rest. I worked every day of the first sixteen days or so of December–I completed at least nine quilts, and I am so pleased with all of the creative sewing. I’ll be sharing those quilts on Instagram soon, and I will try to update the gallery here on the website, too.
I finished my Christmas Queue on December 16, and I had all of the quilts delivered by December 19, just in time for gift giving. I always feel like Santa during December deliveries, and this year was no exception. Special quilts were taken home as special gifts, and I was honored to be a part of so many family celebrations!
After deliveries, I cleaned up the studio, but before I closed the studio for break, I decided not to move new orders into my work baskets. You see I have pending orders in stacked containers that move into the baskets when I start to work on them physically.
Baskets ready for orders!
I had at least six orders to start in January, and I moved those into the baskets when I returned to the studio on January 2. I enjoyed leaving the baskets empty in this way because it felt like a pause for rest. I was also excited to move the orders upon my return to the studio, so that I could let those orders start to work in earnest in my brain. I think not filling the baskets gave my brain a rest, too; it didn’t pick up the orders and try to tease and niggle ideas in the back of my mind. Of course, those orders were already filed neatly in my brain because my creative process begins with my first contacts with clients. I make notes, sometimes before I meet the customer in person, or before I receive an order in the mail. Certainly once the materials for an order are in my possession, my creative brain is weighing options and making plans, even when I am not physically working on the order. I know my mind does this work since ideas for orders will pop into my head at interesting times—in the middle of the night, on my daily walk, when I am stitching something else. I’ve decided my creative process definitely includes pondering time. Orders have to marinate in my creative juices. Those “aha” moments are a lot of fun; they allow me to celebrate my own creative self! Ha! By the way, everyone should celebrate and congratulate themselves, even for small ideas and victories!
New Year and orders ready for sewing. Under that batting is a quilt already pieced and ready to be quilted!
I’m back in the studio now, and my creative brain is fully cogitating. I have meetings with eight or nine clients for new orders in addition to the ones in the studio. I am excited about the possibilities. My clients bring me the best projects! Thank you!
Sending Quilting Love,
Ginger
Coming Next Time: Hmmm…I have not decided yet, so you will have to come back to see! If you have an idea, then let me know in the comments below!
I am Reading: I just finished A Widow For One Year by John Irving…so good! I picked up a mystery Sam gave me for Christmas called Mirror Lake by Juneau Black. Sidney gave me a new illustrated copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, so I have been giggling over that. I am also reading Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner…a birthday present from Sidney. Lee gave me books, too, and I am excited to read those! My boys know me pretty well, don’t they! I think I will start The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, too, while I am reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen…oh, I have so many things to read it makes me feel so warm and snuggly! A cup of Earl Grey and a book…lovely!