My latest project, it’s a pieced jacket in bright blues and white, a nod to spring. Which is just about here with lots of buds, a few daffodils blooming and as you walk through the neighborhoods, the glorious fragrances of daphne.

I chose the colors first. Next, I sewed the blocks. You can see some in the upper left corner. They are random pieces of fabric sewn together into various sizes and shapes. My goal is for each block to have an interesting composition, movement or design. In the very beginning, when I first start to sew them, they are not very interesting. But as I continue to cut and sew, they begin to take on their own individual dynamic. They take over and I follow where they lead me.

The final step, laying out the individual blocks so that they work with each other, bounce the eye around and at the same time, focus it on the areas I’d like to highlight. For this jacket, it’s down the center front. As I’m laying them out, in my mind there are a lot of, ‘Yes! That goes there!’ And, ‘Not at all! Take that off!’ And, ‘this seems to work, but it disrupts that area. What should I do to fix it?’ Time stalls and stands still, then moments later it flashes by. Just like a puzzle, eventually I find a way that works.

Stay tuned.