I Love Being at the Ocean
I love being at the ocean, so spending a week in DePoe Bay right on the rocky shore is perfect. Hearing waves crashing against the rocks is soothing to my soul. This was somewhat an unplanned get away, which makes it even more special. It is not all play and no work. Some of my time here is to focus on furthering my education in quilt design. Then, I want to follow up with pattern writing. I am also researching online courses to refresh my techniques for the Inspired by Judy line. The actual designs will come naturally but refreshing techniques will be a time saver. I believe learning is a lifetime activity.
Quilt Designing
A couple weeks ago I went to the library. It was the first time in nearly three years, and it felt so right! Our little local library is a step back in time other than the computers in the middle of the room. My first destination was the quilting books. It is usually hit and miss if there is anything I haven’t already checked out or have my own copy at home. I found several new books (after three years, one would hope so!) and one in particular caught my eye. Written by Harriet Hargrave and Carrie Hargrave-Jones, the title is Quilter’s Academy Vol.5 – Master’s Year A Skill-Building Course in Quiltmaking. A read of the Introduction and flipping through the pages, I knew this book was going home with me for further inspection.
The Volumes 1 (Freshman Year) through Volume 4 (Senior Year) were written with the hope of teaching techniques, lessons in drafting and math, and precision. Volume 5, the Master Year, is where all this knowledge is put into critical thinking and original design. I want to peruse the information and assignments of the chapters in the Masters level to decide if starting with Volume 1 and work to the Master would be the best decision. I’ll let you know when I really get into it!
Pattern Writing
For me, pattern writing will go hand in hand with designing a quilt. Sounds like it would be easy to do, right? Don’t I wish! A few years ago, I copied a well written article on pattern writing. It will come in handy when I am ready. At that time, I couldn’t see myself ever designing a pattern and/or writing how to duplicate it. I’ve also learned how important pattern testers are to the writer producing a final draft that is clear, concise and easy to follow and understand.
Refresher Course on Drafting Techniques for Clothing
While I am focusing on learning to improve, I want to include what will help the clothing line Inspired by Judy be successful. Sketching articles of clothing that will capture the essence of Judy is easy for me, but a refresher on pattern drafting will get the sketch to a wearable article. That is my goal.
Learning is a Lifetime Activity You Can Choose
I have always loved to learn and improve myself. I don’t believe anyone is too old to learn, just like I don’t believe anyone is too young. I also believe learning should be fun and even exciting! The joy of being an adult is choosing what and how you can continue your quest for what you want to learn and how you want to learn it. Learning is a lifetime activity!