Look who's writing a blog post!
The new year has brought some new challenges as well as new opportunities. One of the things that a few of you know (though not many) is that I have a panic/anxiety disorder. I joke that it developed after years of being a successful stage manager where I used up my allotment of stress management tools. I was experiencing some good progress but was completely derailed at the end of 2012. The shootings at the mall and in Connecticut, my husband being let go from his job (leading to a lawsuit which is another level of stress), my mother in law passing away, our neighbor's home being broken into - these all kind of hit me like a truck and made it hard for me to accept the world in general as a safe place to be. So the anxiety pretty much took over to the point of it being difficult for me to leave the house.
But things are getting back on track now. I have a wonderful and caring doctor who is helping me and a supportive counselor who is giving me some great tools for managing the condition as well as good friends who keep me smiling. And then there was the Madrona Road challenge by the Modern Quilt Guild.
It might sound a bit hokey, but this challenge was just what I needed to get my creative mojo going again. Violet Craft is the designer of this beautiful line of fabric and she also happens to be a member of my local modern quilt guild. She's a lovely person and I'm a huge fan of Madrona Road.
Some of the flowers in her prints reminded me of dresdens so that's where I went with this project. The line includes a great text print as well and I pulled a few phrases out that really represent to me some of what I've been going through.
The full text on the mini reads: Onwards and experience. She tied all the loose threads together, sometimes unravelling again and again. Stitch by stitch she pieced her soul together.
So, that's the update on me. Thank you to Violet for your beauty, talent, creativity, and words. And thank you to the Modern Quilt Guild for sponsoring this challenge.
