Meditative Mandalas...

My, but these geometric circle diagrams are so soothing to work on. And I can't seem to stop. I'm enrolled in an online course titled Mandala Madness taught by Barb Owen at How to Get Creative. There are more than ten video projects that Barb walks us through. I'm enjoying them all, but the Zendala shown here may be my favorite. It's a combination of Zentangle-inspired art and the Mandala. I gave several of my black pens, a pencil and blending stump a workout completing it.

Barb does everything mixed media, fiber art, sewing and more. So of course I want to make everything she does. One of our lessons was making Mandalas on fabric using Sharpie markers and metallic paint. I used one of the pieces in a journal cover.  The results are completely unpredictable which adds to the fun. As you can see in the fabric underneath the journal, some of the markers did not bleed, but retained the freely drawn shape.

I added free-motion quilting to the piece used in the journal.

This began with plain white muslin and is ready to become something else now.

We also learned to draw Mandalas on paper, then color them in with inexpensive markers. Each one follows a pattern. This is the basic 8-section Mandala.

A 6-section one. I'm a big fan of adult coloring books, so to have my own drawings to color adds yet another element to the enjoyment. And it is meditative. Mindless or mindful, whichever you prefer to call it.

 And a 12-section one. I will probably go back to each one to add more penwork and embellishments. Plus there are several lessons I have yet to complete.

Some time ago, I also took a Mandala Magic class with Alisa Burke. This pink one was one of my first efforts. And the card is a representation of her artwork that was sent along with an order. I've placed the paper Mandalas in a Dylusions square journal with black cardstock pages. They stand out so nicely against the black background.

There are lots of pages in the journal, so I'm also using it to display artwork from others I've received in the mail or in swaps. This Betty Boop card is one that Robbie Payne of Robbie's Paw Prints blog made from a quilt image and sent for Valentine's Day. Isn't Betty just full of personality?

And these are some ATC's from a swap I joined several years ago. The journal keeps them all corralled and it's fun to leaf through. All the wonderful color keeps me inspired.

Fun Quilt Class with Quiltville's Bonnie Hunter...

Our quilt guild has been anticipating a visit from Bonnie Hunter for several years, and she finally came to town to present to a packed house. Organizers had booked her far in advance and she did not disappoint. Bonnie's energy, enthusiasm, and positive attitude are admirable. And her methods for cutting and sewing her wonderful scrap creations are well-thought-out and efficient. This centerpiece quilt demonstrates how the simple strips and shapes cut from scraps shown at the top of her quilt can combine to make so many appealing patchwork blocks.

Known for using assorted fabric scraps and for her "leaders and enders" system of sewing efficiently, Bonnie had piles of her colorful quilts to show us during her trunk show program. The guild members had a show-and-tell in which they displayed more than 30 quilts they'd made using her patterns and methods. Several were based on her popular mystery quilt series. I showed one of mine made using her Scrappy Trips blocks.

The day after the lecture, 40 happy quilters showed up at our meeting place to learn and sew a Pineapple Blossom quilt like Bonnie's sample shown here. Bonnie offers many free patterns and tutorials on her website, linked above.

We made good progress on our blocks and enjoyed visiting and chatting while we sewed. Here are some of my tablemates at work. Most of the light in the room came from our machines and plug-ins, so pardon the photography. Quite a few members like to bring their vintage Singer Featherweight machines to class because they are so portable and reliable. Bonnie had the opportunity to sew in her hotel room using a guild member's Featherweight that was once owned by Aunt Bee of Mayberry fame. She was delighted and wrote about the experience here on her blog.

But the raciest model is this custom painted purple one! Debra Johnston was sewing on it, and it's one restored by her husband Johnny, The Old Sewing Machine Man. I don't know if that color made it sew faster, but Debra did get a lot of blocks completed.

We'll be making 20 blocks total, and worked on 12 of them during class. Here are four of mine arranged side-by-side to show one way they can be set together. I'm about halfway done with my blocks, so it will be awhile before I can share the finished project. If you visit Bonnie's YouTube video of her day in Ocala, you'll see more images. I'm in her video wearing an orange/blue plaid shirt and just one shoe. I'm most comfortable sewing barefoot. How about you?