5 Tips to Make Art Every Day - The MAED Project

In order to maximize the time you make art you need to have a dedicated space to create whether it is a table in the corner or an entire room. Here are some tips.

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1   1. FIND SPACE - Whether you can choose a corner of the kitchen counter or a table in the basement for art the important thing is to find space and reserve it for your creative process. When my children grew out of the playroom I moved from a table in the basement to a room upstairs. Initially I lined the walls with any tables or chests that I could find for storage but gradually I have been able to replace most of those with prefab cabinets. I continue to use two 4’x8’ tables (on risers) for layout and cutting fabric.

      2. GET ORGANIZED - It is important to organize. Keep like with like. Sort your fabric, paints, brushes into bins or cans and place them where you can find them. Some people are ‘everything out’ folks who want to see everything at a glance, and others are ‘everything in’ people who would rather see a clean surface when they look around. I am a person in between those two camps. I like things out for my current project but like extraneous items put away. Periodically I have to just clean up.

      3.  LEAVE IT OUT – I find it easier to dash in and work for 5-10 minutes if my supplies and equipment are ready to go.

      4. BLOCK OFF TIME – Pull out the calendar or agenda pad and block off some time for you. Yes for you. You are always putting someone else first and every day you deserve a little time to work on you. By taking care of your needs you will be able to take care of others.

      5. BATCH TASKS – Are there similar basic steps to create your art? Do you need to gesso canvases or cut squares of batting? Think about how you work and break the larger tasks down into smaller bits. Then even if you can’t complete a big project in 10-15 minutes at least you can be prepared for the next time you have an hour free.

The MAED Project

The MAED Project - Make Art Every Day

A few more photos!

Make Art Every Day

I celebrated my birthday in November and set a new goal for 2016.

I want to make a 5" block of textile art every day for 365 days.

Art Every Day.

I decided if I want to play I need to show up each and every day.  I think the advice given to writers about a daily jotting of 750-1000 words, so many have said artists should do the same.

I will post photos of my work each week on Facebook and Instagram.

Maybe you would like to join me!

Surprises in a Closet

I spent Sunday afternoon rewrapping my large quilts that were in the last show. All had been piled on my son's bed.  I suppose he probably deserves to sleep in his room over Thanksgiving break.

I rolled the large quilts on to cardboard tubes wrapped in white cotton sheets and placed them in a closet (on the floor like logs)...but only after I pulled out all the boxes and sewing machines (3), a flute, a box of old photos, several boxes of my mother's things and some old linens and doilies. I vacuumed and then wanted to quit but knew with the holiday coming quitting then would be a mistake.

Then one wonders why do we keep the things we do...hmm.  For me the time is not yet right. I have to hold on a bit longer. Memories. You get it.  There are memories of mine and my mother's in those boxes, and I think some of my great grandmother's as well.

Here is something else I found in the closet (in a box I had forgotten). A framed picture of Queen Victoria's wedding bonnet probably saved from my great grandmother Maria Laughead Jones's home along the Wabash River in Indiana.

Queen Victoria's Wedding Bonnet - front

Reverse side "Queen Victoria's Wedding Bonnet 1840"

What are you saving in the back of your closet?  And what have you being willing to give away?

(Just so you know, I did put the holiday cards from 2009-2011 in the recycling bin.....)

Rocket Science Quilters in Vermont

The Fullerton Inn in Chester, Vermont was the location of the first Rocket Science Quilters retreat.

What's on the Needles Wednesday

This is a scrappy short row shawl. Can you believe all of these different colors came from one skein of handspun?

Hexagons on the Wall

Last weekend at the first annual Rocket Science Quilters retreat in Vermont.  This design was inspired by fabric I was received as a present and a book by Maxine Rosenthal (One Block Wonders) These are 'duplicate' triangles pieced into hexagons.

There is a multitude of arrangements that are possible with the blocks. I just haven't figured out which arrangement I like best!