Week in Review 2023 – 01/20

Surprise!

Surprise and serendipity go hand in hand for me. It happens when I observe the aligning of two moments, experiences or even visual scenes. What might be at any other moment incongruous, becomes congruent. What surprises me is how often this leads to a time of deeper understanding or getting past a hurdle.

Pillars of Creation as viewed through the James Webb telescope is the inspiration for my Fierce Planets entry. It will be pieced in my signature style of abstract realism. The working title is In the Beginning.

One example of a delightful gift of a surprise happened this morning as I took a yoga class. I’ve been practicing yoga for 20 years or so. Now that I am approaching my 70th birthday, I don’t expect progress. Instead, I am more surprised by how balance is trickier, joints are stickier and flow is erratic. I accept this comes with aging. So, imagine my joy when I did something I had never done before because of a simple tip.

Three rows are finished. I only have eight more to go and the top for In the Beginning will be finished. In the Beginning is now 13.5″ H x 55″ W.

Not an earth shattering moment, but still I’ve been attempting, while in down dog, to arch my back, draw my knee to my chest and bring the foot of my bent leg up to my hand on the mat. I’m typically six or more inches short. Many people are. But today I learned if I tent the fingers of my hand (balance on finger tips vs. palm) my foot went not just closer, but 100% of the way. I was amazed.

In the Beginning News

If you follow my blog, then you know my current project, In the Beginning, is based on an image taken by the James Webb telescope. I typically make my lunch listening to Radio Boston, hosted by Tiziana Dearing. So imagine my head snap moment when the topic of the day was the latest scientific revelations based on these images. I will definitely need to re-listen to the show and do some more reading on the topic in order to speak knowledgeably on the topic.

Project Quilting

My Project Quilting entry inspired by the prompt “pink tint”.

Another pleasant, although not serendipitous surprise, this week, was living up to my commitment to myself to participate in Project Quilting. The second prompt is Pink Tint. The prospectus states pink must be the main color featured in the quilt. Participants have one week from prompt announcement to make and post their finished quilt.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

OK, not everything I do or experience surprises me. Thank goodness. Routine and the expected are relaxing. This is something I appreciate about participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Another deep blue block for the 2023 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

How about you? What has taken you by surprise this week?

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By Gwyned Trefethen

I am an artist who uses fabric, thread and miscellany to create designs gifted to me by my imagination.

22 comments

    1. I was hoping my yoga reference wouldn’t go over everyone’s head. Nice to have a fellow yogi get what I was trying to convey.Good to hear from you, Yvonne. I am glad you enjoyed my Project Quilting 14.2 quilt.

    1. Although I’ve never seen a sunset/sunrise quite like the one depicted in my PQ 14.2 piece, I am fortunate to look out over a salt marsh and tidal river. It is quite a long vista, so we see our share of brilliantly colored skies. I often use them as the catalyst for my work. Thank you, Diann for stopping by and sharing your positive thoughts.

    1. Always good to hear from you, Frédérique. In yoga one is frequently told to bring the floor to you by touching down on blocks. However, blocks wouldn’t work here. Why no one had ever recommended tenting fingers vs. flat palm before, don’t know. With my years of experience I should have thought of it but didn’t. Sometimes simple things are the hardest solutions to see. Sometimes simple things are just simple, like how easy you make it to link to you blog. Thank you for the offering this opportunity.

  7. you go girl! So true, one small tip can change so much…. yes to the yoga pose and feeling accomplished. And the lesson is you were already able to do it, just needed a slightly different angle. I bet that happens to us a lot. It’s a good reason to share even things you think everyone knows… because not everyone knows… Like your PQ and RSC pieces too…
    LeeAnna

    1. You are such a great cheerleader, LeeAnna. Every other teacher I’ve taken from or student I observed basically either can get their foot to land by their hand, apparently effortlessly or does what I always done – grab their ankle and move their leg forward. Reminds of when the sacrosanct rule was to iron seams towards the darker fabric. Times, products and bodies change. We need to change, too, but may be stymied how to.

  8. Love your beautiful dark blue flowers. They are going to look so GOOD in your quilt. I’ll have to listen to Radio Boston link. I too am fascinated by the JW telescope. Thanks for sharing!

    1. I am already eager to learn what February’s color will be. Unlike like last year’s RSC project where I made two different blocks, this year each color will be a different flower in my garden. Fingers crossed I haven’t been overly ambitious. Isn’t what the JW telescope has unveiled exciting?

  9. Your PQ project is lovely. I like how you quilted along the colors of the fabric. Well done! Thanks for sharing with TGIFF.

  10. No big surprises this week. Ironically I just watched a program last night about the Hubble telescope and that photo was something discussed. It all boggles my mind. I love that dark blue block that looks like a budding flower.

    1. It appears that each new photograph reveals some new understanding about how galaxies came to be and what they consist of. Never a field of interest to me, yet now that the photographs are available I find myself, like you, fascinated. Thanks for sharing thoughts.

  11. I luv your quilt block looking forward to seeing more colors as time goes by,I think it’s going to make for a beautiful quilt

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