Amy, over at Amy’s Creative Side, dared us to show our messes.

I accept and challenge anyone to have more mess going on that I.  It doesn’t always look like this. Really, it doesn’t. Mostly not. Sometimes, but not normally. Okay, I create a lot. I prefer Cindy‘s description as seeds of creativity. Beautiful ring to it, yes?

Before I show you what is going on, know that I am not there now. *And* it’s not all *my* mess. I have a few projects on pause while we spend the summer at the cottage. I happened to be back yesterday, and today, for a couple of doctor appointments, hair cuts and the like (shopping in the big city, LOL) and barely had time to step in there.

I came in to take some pics for Amy while I did a little auditioning, for binding, on my Diamonds are a Girls’ Best Friend quilt. The winner is none of these. I found a round table skirt that was used, for years, about 20 years ago, and am giving it a second chance, at life, in this quilt. It works beautifully. Just wait and see.

Yes, I got it all quilted this weekend, too. Four rows of freestyle machine stitching along the sashings. Two rows in and two on the outsides. All 1/4″ apart using my walking foot. And yes, that is a stack of Kona left over from the last five(?) quilts, not yet put away. Why bother? Seems there is always another Kona solids quilt up my sleeve!

But to get into my studio, I first had to walk around this unnamed Kona wallhanging.

It’s no where near finished, but needed to find a paint color that would pop with it. Behr’s Chai Latte was the winner. It’s pretty much exactly the color of the darker rusty color, the top row of the lower right block~ish piece…..

Then had to work my way around this.

Artist daughter has been inspired lately and is glad I am not in her way, I am sure. Can’t wait to see the finished product. I am glad to see her out from behind her computer screen job, in her free time, and excited about creating art, in a favorite medium, again. That’s her floral piece, in the background. A Mother’s Day gift 2007. I’m sure their are better pictures around if you need to see it.

And taking up the width of the space between my cutting table and chair is an Amy Butler Kaleidascope quilt which I have been working on, every time, I am back in town. Not sure what I will do with it but I’m pretty sure it’s big enough to say I’m ready to piece it together! Yeah, we’ve been walking all over it, in the mean time… And if a quilt can be walked on now, it can be drug out into the yard for suntanning, or to picnic on or play under, as a tent, or whatever the owner wants to do with it, I say. The test of a well loved quilt, I say.

You can see I neglected to picture my overflowing trash basket, or selvedge bin, that has that has spilled to the floor, or my, desperately needing to be recovered, ironing board piled high with another prospective project…..

It’s bad.

I know.

I’m glad I’m back at the cottage where I can breathe a little easier, make quilt bindings and get some fresh finishes under my belt without feeling the need to clean, first. LOL!

Thanks, Amy, for giving me the courage to admit, I am a messy creative type and proud of it!!