Big Years and Life Lists

At the beginning of 2011 I decided to try a new twist on New Year’s Resolutions.   Usually I enjoy making resolutions, and like most people, have had a mixed bag of results.    But last January I decided to choose a word for the year instead.  The word I chose for my inspiration for the coming year was, bold.  Actually, it was BOLD!  I pinned it up on my bulletin board in my workspace (more than a sewing room, less than a studio) and saw it every day. 

 I began to see it other places, too.  And I am really happy with the effect it had on my work.  My quilts, and my approach to my projects, were indeed, bolder than ever before.  Gutsy even. 

 I wondered what I would use for my “word for the year” this year – where would the inspiration come from.

Inspiration came from an unlikely source:  Mark Obmascik bestseller, The Big Year.  In this book, the author chronicles the bizarre sport of competitive bird watching, focusing on three very different birders, men similar only in their common passion.  It was a fascinating read.  (I like birds, too.)

Basically, a Big Year is a list of birds spotted and recorded by an individual who is trying to list the most birds identified in a single year by any one person.  There are international versions, as well as regional (in this case North America), statewide and local categories.  Earnest birders are also always working on their Life List, a compilation of all the birds they have ever personally identified.

So, why did this concept resonate with the quilter in me, and how would it relate to my quilting?  I suppose I could choose to go to every major quilt show, conference and confab in 2012 and record every type of quilt I saw.  But, no.  What I am thinking is that I can use this year to try as many different techniques in my quilt making as possible.   As many different colorways, as many different constructions and uses as I can.  Of course, this will force me to be a little more diligent in my record keeping and journaling, too.  And there is that Life List that is interesting to think about.

January offered me the perfect opportunity to begin My Big Year (as I’m calling it!).  I participated in a workshop with Karen Eckmeier, a wonderful designer from Connecticut.    She was teaching her technique of layering fabrics to achieve landscape views in quilts.  It was a great workshop and in a few days I finished up my “Walking the Dunes” little beach landscape quilt.  One down for My Big Year!

The other project that I am excited about for 2012, is a block exchange that my daughter and I are doing.  We have done this before.  Since we live so far apart, the monthly exchange brings us a little surprise from each other on a regular basis – so fun!  This time around, our blocks will all be star designs with neutral backgrounds.  Size, color and style are in the “anything goes” category.  This means that the construction of the quilts at the end of the year will most likely require fill strips and additional blocks.  I finished my first block and it will go in the mail tomorrow! 

 2012 should be a productive quilting year for me.  And all that sewing will help to block out all the political yammering, too!