Takin' a Dip

You all have greatly encouraged me to take the plunge into creativity.  Even though I am not quite ready to totally leave the dock - I am thrilled to report that I have dipped in my big toe and it feels great!

While I haven't taken a trip to Dairy Queen lately (where I need to report that my favorite blizzard flavor is Cappuccino Chip) - I did go to a fabric store and purchased material for the sudoku quilt idea.  I am SO excited!

I new that I wanted to focus on purples because of the Grandmother issue and the fact that I have embraced the poem, When I Grow Old I Shall Wear Purple.....but I also really love soft greens and turquoise (which happen to coordinate well with purple on the color wheel).  So these are the batiks that I chose for this first quilt.

I spent this evening pre-washing the material, ironing, and cutting out.

Now as my husband commented....this is not your grandmother's quilt - and it does take a bit of preparation and organization to complete.  I have placed each of the nine different materials in baggies to keep them organized (and also identified them each a post-it note).  I plan to take out only one piece at a time as I work on the corresponding block.  I am hoping that this helps eliminate confusion - which at this stage in life, is quite a welcomed concept.

I then cut a swatch of each of the nine materials and made myself a cheat-sheet - so that I could properly follow the sudoku pattern without much mishap.  Since the colors are very similar - I am hoping that this swatch card will help me to follow the "pattern"   I envision each square as its own abstract painting - although a bit different from one another.  Watercolors always seem so serene to me and evoke feelings of peace and relaxation.  Who knows what I will actually end up with.

I googled searched "completed sudoku puzzles" and found this image.  I think it will work as good as any.  The concept is to use the same nine fabrics in a nine different combinations - thus creating a 'sudoku' puzzle out of colors and patterns rather than out of numbers.  The possibilities are endless!

I also have an idea of doing a quilt for my son using only black/white fabrics with a splash of red.  We'll see how this one works out first.

So there you have my quilt idea.  Not quite a literary concept - but it has been influenced by my novel idea that focuses on the Impressionists.

I will also share a few of the poems I have found this week in Caroline Kennedy's anthology, She Walks in Beauty.  I am thoroughly enjoying this book - and I appreciate that Ms. Kennedy is teaching me to s-l-o-w down and enjoy the language and images of these thoughtful pieces.