Pisces Moon Studio

I know I haven’t talked too much about it, but since the beginning of May I’ve been nose down in “The To-Do List from Hell”â„¢ and I’ve actually accomplished a great deal.

I’ve made two new quilts and a number of postcard-size pieces; I’ve entered and been accepted into a juried exhibition that opens July 9; I’ve signed up with Artisans International (who have already sold two of my quilts since mid-May); I’ve set up three new web sites and have three more in the pipeline; I’ve kept the household running reasonably smoothly (defined by my dear husband as “never running out of Diet Mountain Dew and dinner’s on the table at 7 pm”); and I’ve been working to get ready for the Birmingham Quilt Guild show this coming weekend.

At this show, I will be one of three judges on Friday. On Saturday, I will be doing a half-hour program on fabric postcards. I also, in a rash and energetic moment in April, sent in my fee to be a vendor of hand-dyed fabric for the weekend.

I try not to talk much about it because it doesn’t define *who I am,*, but I live with a couple of autoimmune disorders that tend to wreak havoc with my strength and energy levels. Stress and fatigue also cause flare-ups, and I’ve been running myself pretty ragged these past six weeks. I’ve gotten an incredible amount done, but I have not been able to dye nearly as much fabric as I will need to sell this weekend.

Autumn II
Click on image for larger view. (88KB)

So I have about decided to back off on the fabric thing. I’ve put together some sample postcard kits — not patterns, but envelopes with the Wonder-Under, fusible stabilizer, batting and base muslin for two postcards, plus basic instructions on how to put a card together and some suggestions on making the decorated side. This, I think, might be popular with people who are mildly interested in the concept but don’t necessarily want to go invest in a lot of supplies that they might not use again.

Another thing I might do is use some of the fabric I’ve dyed and printed already as advertising for classes. One of the things on that To-Do List is to set up some local classes in surface design, and maybe this is a good opportunity to gather some names of interested people.

As an example, I finished this quilt top, called Autumn II, to show some of the monoprints I did a year or so ago when I was teaching a class on gelatin plate printing on fabric. Not high art, but pleasant enough to look at and may pique some interest in the process.

I can also use this as informational time — talk to people about what I do rather than concentrating so much on selling “stuff.”

This will be easier on my body; I won’t start out the weekend exhausted and yet I won’t waste the fee either. Yet I am feeling a bit guilty about lowering my expectations of myself.

If you were going to the show, would any of this interest you, or would you be disappointed if I didn’t have 200 yards of hand-dyes ready to sell?