Creativity Day 11 - Day of the Dead Memorial Wall Hanging

"Life is a great surprise.  I do not see why death should not be an even greater one."

Vladimir Nabokov

I took a mini class at the Houston International Quilt Show a few years ago on how to make a Day of The Dead wall hanging and being of Hispanic background, I have always wanted to make one for my Mother who passed away 16 years ago.  The class was part of the "Make It University" with "Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine" Workshops which is an inexpensive way to take a class that includes all supplies and instruction by the artist.  You don't have to invest lots of time, most projects take 1-2 hours and the cost is only $15 which is great because there is time for questions and even one on one help if you find that the class is a new technique to you. Admittance into the class is done by drawing names out of a fish bowl and you have to be present to get in and payment is cash only so it is exciting and fun from start to finish.  I recommend taking a chance on getting into one of these classes if you attend Quilt Festival, it is a great way to learn new techniques.

Yesterday was Day 11 and this is what I made:

It is not quite finished because I want to add a few more embellishments and a ribbon for hanging on the wall.  I  did use some of Mom's favorite colors and she loved flowers so I made a one using antique Mother of Pearl buttons, one felt free form cut flower and added some pink roses trim.

This morning I copied a picture of her that was perfect for this little memorial hanging and she just happened to be wearing colors that went along with the color scheme I chose.

There is a picture frame pocket to add a photograph and there is also a pocket behind the photo to add any special mementos that you don't want out for all to see.  This has been a special project and one that I will hanging in my sewing room so she can keep me company everyday while I work.

I have special memories about the person that inspired me to be who I am, I hope you will share some memories or at least that my project will bring back memories of someone special you love and is no longer with us.

The Power of a Word

I have never made New Year Resolutions; there was never any point because I knew I wasn't going to stick to it.  I was always a "fly by the seat of my pants" sort of gal, but as the seat of my pants have gotten larger over the years, it has become more like flying a kite.  A kite sort of just goes wherever and you need to fight with it to keep it up in the air and just sort of hold on for dear life, not my idea of a good plan.  Something needs to change.

While looking over my Facebook page I found, Lisa Fulmer the guest designer at http://onepowerfulhour.blogspot.com/ , inviting readers to join a challenge.  Pick an inspirational word for 2010?  The possibilities are endless, but it had to be "one" word.

Last month I began looking at my quilting UFOs (unfinished Objects), and trying to get them under control by vowing to complete two of these each month.  So far so good and maybe blogging about them will keep me accountable, sort of like having someone watching you so you need to follow through.  Yet I feel that there needs to be more than completing things that have been left by the wayside.  There has to be new stuff along the way to keep me motivated.  Could the word be "stuff"?

I started my business a year and a half ago and although I know that any new venture takes time, I see others doing similar work that are doing much better than I am, leaving me a bit unfullfilled.  I have decided that I need to read and learn and listen to others and their experiences and not duplicate but adjust things to my needs and what I do best.  As I continue to give my business more thought I realize that this last year I have been "making" items for my shop but not been adding many "creations".  This has left me uninspired and unmotivated.  So this has to be my word for 2010, "create", a word that challenges and fulfills me at the same time, something that I feel I have not been doing.

I proceeded to "create" my inspiration board.  This is what I came up with.

As a quilter I had to include thread and fabric, but I also love to embellish and applique so those techniques had to be included also.  The background layer of fabric and thread has an overlay of irridescent tulle that sort of adds a veil to the foundation of my board.  The upper layers are sewed on or glued on bringing them to the top as they surface and inspire me to "create".

Inspiration

I listened to Pikaland's chat last night on "creativity" and enjoyed her thoughts on the subject. I came away from that chat thinking that before we can be creative we must be "inspired". There has to be something that inspires us to be creative, some thought, experience, something. Something that provokes us to express something of ourselves in some way, with each of us having a uniqueness of our own that comes from different experiences and thoughts.

As a quilter I find inspiration in fabrics. I have loved to sew since I was a child watching my mother create beautiful prom dresses and bridesmaid dress for family and friends. The textures of the fabrics were fascinating, smooth, soft, cool to the touch or rough, grainy, stiff and difficult to crumple. The colors, warm, bright, fresh, pale, vibrant, all evoking a connection to memories such as a cold winter's day or a bright fresh spring morning, the purple of a beautiful eggplant or the bright red of an apple and the cool aqua of the ocean. Memories are often the inspiration to create, such as my Fiesta bags, inspired by memories of childhood in my home town.

What inspires you? Where do you find inspiration to create whatever it is that you do? Let me know what inspires you and what it is that you create.