All About ME, ME, ME!!!

 Today is MY day to show my All About Me project.    Thank goodness for Madame Samm and Marlene, because I never would have tried this sort of thing without them.    They have helped me stretch my mind in so many crafty ways, and I am grateful.    I have a friend who tells me I am "such a cheerleader," but these ladies make me look like a Debbie Downer.

I have never before made anything like this fun pattern by Amy Bradley, and I'm so glad I tried it. I got to use fusible interfacing for the first time, and (a version of) machine applique, and lots of other techniques I'd never tried before.  I got to discover the limits of my old sewing machine.    And (blush), most fun of all, I got to think about ME and what would best represent me to all of y'all.    I decided to use only what I had in my stash because, even though I am very new at this, I have a stash that is taking over my craft/guest room.    Sigh.

 

Now I dare say I have as many life-biases as anyone, but I am not an accomplished seamstress, so the play on the word “bias” didn't really describe me. I wanted to find something I could claim as my own, something I could hang on my wall that will make me smile.

My resolutions for 2013 were to make it the Best Year Ever, and have a Ridiculous Amount of Fun. I have been trying to look at every experience and decision through that 'lens,' and to learn and experience things that I'd never considered before.   So far the year is going well.     I wanted my “Me” to reflect those choices.

You'll notice that my “Me” is toting a pistol.   I am enjoying a lot of target shooting lately and, although I have always enjoyed shooting by myself, these days I also shoot with a couple of friends and that has turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined.   They are getting better and better, and I struggle to keep up.    As one of them reminds me, it's not about losing, it's about trying harder.   Whenever we shoot, we end our range time with an informal competition and it is my goal to beat them as often as I can.  

The heart is a reminder of all the love in my life: my family, my adorable Grands, the patients and families I work with, and my friends.   I want to remember to keep my heart right out there on top, because I want people to be able to find it, no matter how vulnerable that makes me.

I also added a fly fishing rod because I am hoping to improve my fly fishing skills again this year.   I am better at tying flies than catching fish, so I embellished my “Me” with one of the flies I tied this winter.

The embroidery that forms the “scales” of the fish says FUN in Morse Code, that elusive language that I decided to learn as a joke and that has become a huge personal challenge for me.   I am getting better and better at “talking,” but I still have a lot of work to learn to “listen,” which has made me consider whether that might be true in Real Life, too.

Finally, instead of using hanging rings or hardware to hang my Me, I decided to practice my fishing knots and made a couple of small perfection loops to use for hanging it on the wall.   I stitched the finished loops on the back and up I went!

I wanted to add a million other things, like Family and Travel and Learning and Crafts and Food, but decided it could all be summed up in the caption Best Year Ever and the badge that says Life Is Good.   For so many reasons, it truly is.

Thanks for stopping by!    I hope you'll check out the other amazing Me's that are on display today!   (My earlier post lists ALL of the Hops, and it's really worth it to go back and check them ALL out!)

Cherry Blossoms

Hill Valley Quilter

Dachsies With Moxie

I Like To QuiltBlog 

Quilt Smiles

More Stars In Comanche

Tea Time Creations

Shedding the Wolf  (That's me!)

Life, Quilts, and a Cat Too

Judy at That Other Blog

Madame Samm