I hate it when you walk into your sewing room, look at the projects that haven't been touched for so long you can't remember where you were and say to them "Do I know you? Do we mean something to each other?" I need to spend a few hours reacquainting myself with the blocks in progress, or I'm going to make mistakes, so I turned to one of the old completed sets of album blocks. This is the variation I mentioned and was based on a very tattered ebay quilt from many years ago. It was in such bad shape I don't even think it could still exist, so I feel like I'm preserving it. I've sewed all the brown triangles to turn the blocks on point, and later today I'll start on the pieced sashing. I know exactly where I'm going with this, so I don't have to agonise about choices.

I have to go and concentrate on customer quilts now, but I thought I'd show you what I turn to when I'm too busy to get into my own sewing. Last thing before I turn the lights out at night I spend a half hour drawing- anything that takes my fancy. Which is usually animals or faces. I have to do something creative for myself every day or I'd go nuts, and if there isn't time for anything else, there's always my trusty pen and sketchbook, just before I go to sleep.
I used to use pencil, but I've learnt that a pen makes me think about exactly what marks I'm making. I used to worry about mistakes, but now I just draw over the top of them. It's like machine quilting, there is no substitute for Practice, Practice, Practice! I use photos at night, because I don't want to share my bed with dogs, no matter how cute, but I like to draw from life even better.

This is a page of Jessie drawings, nothing finished, nothing perfect, but invaluable in learning about her anatomy and the poses she naturally falls into.

I think we all worry about perfection too much, we should shift the aim to Learning. Knowledge is the true benefit, even if things don't quite work out- the next project will be a little better, and the one after that. Practice is the foundation of Skill.

(Gee, it's too early in the day to be Profound, I'd better drink more coffee and get to work!)