Long Arm Quilting: Embracing Change
in Creativity, Encouraging Words, Quilting
Giving my best shot at free-motion feathers in the black borders. In a recent post about change I said it was inevitable. Embracing it can also be difficult. I am a sit-down, free-motion, push-the-quilt, domestic-sewing-machine-quilter and I have always been just that! People ask if my BERNINA has a larger arm and the answer is yes! However, that’s only recently been the case because my sewing machines prior to 2012 were just regular-sized machines. This often comes as a surprise – but it’s the truth. I’m comfortable pushing the quilt and have enjoyed a fair share of success as a domestic machine quilter – including Best Machine Quilt at IQA in Houston in 2000 and Best Machine Quilt at AQS in Paducah in 2006. Currently sitting in my studio is a Gammill long arm quilting machine. It’s here on loan so of course I should use it. I will learn from trying it, gain experience using it, and understand the challenges others face when quilting on a long arm. Today I loaded a quilt onto the machine. It’s a funky string quilt that was made from leftover student blocks made in classes I taught from 1994 to 2005. It’s been waiting to be quilted for almost nine years (yes… me too! Stop laughing!) Quilting it on the Gammill seems to be the most logical thing to do. It’s not a show quilt. It needs to be quilted. And, I need the practice. String blocks pieced on fabric foundations can be twisted and turned to make amazing designs. I know that my skill at long arm quilting will not match the level of expertise I have for quilting on my BERNINA. I know it will be fine and it will look pretty. More importantly it will finally be finished! But still, long arm quilting is outside of my comfort zone. My thoughts create internal conflict – such as, “If anyone knows I’m long arm quilting they will think all my quilts were done that way. Or, “If they see this poor quality quilting they will think this is the best I can do!” Truthfully, it’s not that bad. It’s just not what I’m used to. So what’s the purpose of this post? First, it’s to let you know that I’m a domestic machine quilter who occasionally gives the long arm a spin viagra ligne avis. In addition it is to affirm that we all have insecurities in our creative endeavors. When we are learning, we already know our short...
Read MoreFeeling the Image – Burn
<img class="wp-image-386 size-full" src="http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/kata_tjuta_2561-sm.jpg" alt="kata_tjuta_2561-sm" width="4200" height="2795" srcset="http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/kata_tjuta_2561-sm.jpg 4200w, http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/kata_tjuta_2561-sm-300×199.jpg 300w, http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/kata_tjuta_2561-sm-1024×681.jpg 1024w, http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/kata_tjuta_2561-sm-462×306.jpg 462w, http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/kata_tjuta_2561-sm-140×94.jpg 140w" sizes="(max-width: 4200px) wholesale jerseys 100vw, 4200px” /> Near Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) in the red center of Australia. Only a few miles from Uluru (Ayer’s Rock). Photo cheap ray bans by Ricky Tims We are bombarded with images every day. cheap china jerseys These images can create angst, peacefulness, laughter, confusion, sadness, and a just about any other emotion you ficam can list. This exercise is to make you stop for moment and take time to identify your emotions and describe how you feel when looking at this image. If you want to participate, study the image for a moment and comment. Start you comment with…”This image Fake Oakleys makes me feel/think/wonder…” etc. Allow yourself to creatively express your emotions, questions, inspiration you experience from the image. Does it bring back a memory? Do you imagine something? I look forward to reading your comments pharmacie internet viagra. Click on hockey jerseys the image for a larger view. Also, new on RickyTimsCreative is an area on the right where you can sign up to follow my posts by being notified by email. I would love to have you be part of my regular followers as together we foster creativity on many levels! Thanks in advance!...
Read MoreCreative Brain Builder – Feather
in Creativity
<img class="size-full wp-image-356" src="http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/peacock-feather.jpg" alt="The beautiful "eye" of a peacock feather." width="3264" height="2448" srcset="http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/peacock-feather.jpg 3264w, http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/peacock-feather-300×225.jpg 300w, http://rickytimscreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/peacock-feather-1024×768.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 3264px) 100vw, cheap jerseys wholesale 3264px” /> The beautiful “eye” of cheap nhl jerseys a peacock feather. The creative mind has no boundaries. That’s why the imagination is such a great thing. wholesale football jerseys china During our childhood years, we all have vivid and often wild imaginations. Some children are encouraged to use their imagination. Others are discouraged from imagining. In either case, as adults we tend to put aside things are are not real and focus on the practical, more realistic aspects in our world. Most of us have creative thoughts and ideas but these are often set aside because they are neither practical nor realistic. Perhaps they are put away because the individual feels they cannot pursue the vision. Self-doubt about talent Paolla or skill squelches the creative ambition. This can happen to the point that being imaginative becomes a lost and forgotten gift. This post is a creative brain building exercise to foster your imagination. It’s about writing the thoughts that come to mind based on an image you see. It’s not about trying to be articulate, grammatically correct, insightful, or witty. Simply look at the image and begin typing your thoughts. Write about the image – write about yourself – write anything – just write! How much should you write? As much as you wish, but try Wholesale NFL Jerseys writing at least a paragraph without stopping to think. Don’t stop to compose your thoughts – just write. If your thoughts are not too personal just leave them in the comment area and together we will explore our imaginations. Also, if you can stare at the image Fake Oakleys as you type, then do just that. Where will your imagination take you? On your mark – get set –...
Read MoreCreativity: Capture More Family Memories
in Creativity, Photography, Popular, Slices of Life
This photo of Keegan using my ‘big-boy’ camera sums up the week. Photo by Macy, age 11 This summer we had a family gathering. My niece, her husband, my nephew, his wife, and their kids (two boys and two girls ranging in age from 6 to 16) came to Colorado to visit. Add Justin and I to the count and there were 10 of us total. We gathered for a week of family fun. In these situations usually somebody ends up being the DP (designated photographer). Because I love to take pictures, the DP is usually me. Being the hyper-creative sort that I am, I came up with an idea to get everyone involved. I asked everyone to be a photographer. For their travel day, I asked everyone to take a photo of family during the drive to Colorado from Texas. I also asked them to give me their favorite photo from the drive. Once they arrived, we Cheap Jerseys talked about my idea and we agreed to try to do the following each day. Submit their favorite drogas photo of the day from all the photos they took. It could be anything – family, artistic, abstract, or otherwise. Submit a family photo of the day. This didn’t necessarily mean a group photo and “family” could be interpreted loosely as you will see. Submit a fun photo of the day. It could be silly or in some way, whimsical. Submit a challenge photo of the day. For the challenge topic, each morning we would make suggestions Wholesale NFL Jerseys and come to a mutual agreement. The challenge gave everyone the opportunity to keep their eyes open and think creatively. Naturally most of the photos documented our time together but they were fun and engaging. Our challenges were: leaf or leaves, round, one, stone, cross, and elements. Some photos were taken on smart phones while others were taken with cameras. By having the entire family participate we were able to see the week from other’s perspectives and it provided an ongoing activity for everyone. Since the DP is usually behind the camera, this group endeavor allowed for everyone to be in included in the photos. The project was a success. Not everyone turned in four photos every day, but having the extra photos from different perspectives was fantastic. The challenge generated a collection of images that will forever be a family treasure. Over the past two years I’ve done several books on demand. I use Blurb (www.blurb.com)...
Read MoreCreative Vacation Photography
in Creativity, Photography, Photography Tips, Popular
Those following me know Justin and I just spent a few days with friends riding our Harley motorcycles in Glacier National Park. It was my first time doing such an adventure. Packing clothes and camera gear for a week away (to be carried on a motorcycle) is challenging. When asking what camera gear I should pack I got plenty of replies from “take nothing, enjoy the ride” to “take everything, you will end up needing the one thing you left behind.” It’s a fact that I need to create so I took everything including the tripod which wouldn’t fit – but then I realized I could strap it to the luggage rack. A new location – especially one that flourishes with such beauty – provides the opportunity to create visual expressions with my camera. It offers the opportunity to be creative and capture images I cannot capture at home. Like everyone, I would take the standard ‘grand vista’ photos, but my personal creative goal is to create images (artistic, perhaps impressionistic) that would not necessarily document how beautiful the park is, but rather create images that would be an impression, tell a story, or perhaps stand alone as art (fine art?). When you are finished reading this article, feel free to view more images from this trip on my Smugmug.com gallery. Why Photography? Photography enables the creative individual almost instant art these days. You can do it anywhere – literally, and if you begin seeing your world in little vignettes of composition, it will strengthen your ability to design when working in other creative artistic mediums. Seven Tips for Vacation Photography 1. Know your camera and know your settings without fussing with the owner’s manual. Point-and-shoot is fine but there are limitations that will not allow you to do certain things. Since this is not a lesson on the techniques of photography, I’ll just say – know your camera and learn the flexible options available to you. In order to create blurred water, the camera had to be on a slow shutter speed and stabilized on a tripod (or a rock in this case). 2. When shooting vistas, take care when framing the shot. Even though the mountain may be the thing that draws the eye, if the clouds are dramatic, raise the camera up and feature them! I don’t do rules (surprise, surprise), but the rule of thirds is a...
Read MoreOn Creativity – It’s Fragile
in Creativity, Encouraging Words, Featured, Popular
Not only is creativity fragile, but the creative process often goes on a path leading into the darkness of a unfamiliar forest. Once there, the direction is unclear. The path diverges and splits leading off into many directions and there are choices to be made. It’s important to follow your intuition and blaze on, knowing that you might end up going in circles before successfully finding your way through to the other side. You must remember, you took the journey alone, carrying with you the tools and experiences that live inside of you. Nobody else will ever understand the choices you made along the way. They will not know the fears you experienced, or appreciate the insecurities you felt while making your choices. All they see is that you have arrived with a finished work. It is very important to remember that the approval of others is not something you need. It is not important that they understand your journey. It’s your creative effort and yours to evaluate – yours to like – yours to dislike. Your personal opinions are the only ones that really matter. People who have been through similar situations – those who share similar creative endeavors – are people from whom you can seek advice, critique, and encouragement. These are people whose experience in a certain area has given them wisdom. It’s the same wisdom you develop as you travel on your own creative journey. It’s fine to ask “Should I have turned left instead of right?” “When I come to the big rock should I climb over it, or go around it?” Regardless of the answer, understand that that particular creative effort is a chapter on your journey that is over. Certainly you can take the words of wisdom (the critique) with you when you depart on your next journey, but don’t try to go back and redo the one you just completed. Don’t let the words of a trusted counselor defeat you. Furthermore, if someone has never taken that same journey through that mystical creative forest (and believes they have a right to critique your work – and proceeds to do so) don’t allow their critical or unfriendly words destroy your spirit. I know, that easier said than done, but stand firm on the fact that you made the best choices you could with the experience and tools you had at the time. Here’s a quote from a comic genius....
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