Three Starts for 2018

    Usually I use my blog to share finishes of my quilts and sewing projects.  Today, I am sharing three starts instead! 

     The New Year always brings a good opportunity to consider doing new things, or doing old things differently.    My first new thing of the New Year has to do with our dining room table.  Our dining room is lovely, and we use it when we have company and parties.  I use it for bill paying, for organizing our files, and of course, for some machine quilting, but not regular dinners.  Since the New Year, we have had dinner at the dining room table (which still has its holiday decorations out).  It is amazing how a few lit candles can make a pedestrian meal seem so special!  

    The second start is a long-term project.  I have talked for a while since retiring about transforming my daughter's bedroom into my sewing space.  She hasn't resided here, except when visiting, for years.  This year, both she and my son spent some time cleaning out their old stuff - putting things to keep in boxes for the attic, taking some things with them, and donating or tossing alot of old paperwork.  (Once you are in or done with grad school, do you need high school notes?  No!)   Here is the somewhat cleaned out room as the "before" picture. 

     Step one was switching the bed in this room (a full size bed) with the twin bed in the other bedroom.  We got that done yesterday, and what a difference that made.  I can actually start to see some space for my sewing apparatus!  Step two will be moving one of the dressers out.  Hopefully that will be done this weekend, and perhaps I'll even get my cutting table (which I use to pin quilts) set up.  I have six quilt tops to pin!  I'll share my progress as I go along!

     The third new beginning is bigger and more long term!  This summer, as I was cleaning out part of the attic, I found my old sketch books from high school and college art classes.  The smell of the ink and paper brought me to an unexpectedly happy place. 

A high school sketch.

    I always wanted to pursue art a little bit more, and thought why not now?  My husband and kids were very supportive.  I did the necessary paperwork (FAFSA, applications, getting official transcripts, campus visit!), and  I start classes in two weeks, on a part-time basis, as a fine arts student at a small area college.   I've been to college and to law school, so the "going to college" part is not an issue; going to college as an AARP member may be interesting!  Hmmmm, I wonder if I can stack student and senior discounts??   We'll see how my two classes this semester go; I am very excited! 
    I am hoping to spend at least part of this very chilly weekend working on my Bonnie Hunter "On Ringo Lake" pieces. 

Stay warm and
Take care,
Gretchen