All the Horizons

So back in April, I announced a new prompt for my Bee Sewcial mates - Horizons. I had just retired, so the connotations of 'new horizons' was ringing pretty true for me. Also, I'd been admiring the work of Grant Haffner in the preceeding months, which in turn, was to be inspiration as they created their own horizons in fabric. The request was to use multiple layered colors in one rectangular block made in a landscape orientation, approximately 8"-10" tall, which would mean about 30"-40" wide, depending on the block's height. All that sounded great at the time, though the unique block size(s) are proving a bit tricky now that I have all the blocks in hand. All but mine - I'm waiting to be inspired by a layout before I stitch up my own block. I think.

Randomly, my husband and I went and purchased one of Grant's prints, and just a few days ago got it back from the framer and hung it in our home. I'm sharing our "Sunset Road" just so you can get a feel for my original vision.

So here are all the blocks I received from my beemates, along with a few words of explanation of what was in their minds' eyes as they created their horizon blocks.

Ken/@thekingslacker | Vermont Long Trail

Stephanie/@spontaneousthreads | Cape Cod

Leanne/@shecanquilt | Canadian canola fields

Felicity/@felicityquilts | Lake View Sunset

Marci/@marcigirl | Louisiana crawfish ponds

M-R/@quiltmatters | Sunset

Karen/@capitolaquilter | Santa Cruz beach boardwalk

Aren't they wonderful? They are currently on my design wall as I mull over a layout for them.... This may take a while!

Horizons

Today marks a monumental day for me. Yesterday, after 39 years in the workforce - as a computer programmer in the aerospace industry, a pastry chef in a local bakery, and the last 23 on staff at a large church in our community, I retired. So today, I guess you can say, is the first day of the rest of my life.

So in thinking about a new prompt for Bee Sewcial, I finally settled on "Horizons" - the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet. Of course there is another connotation... a range of perception or experience, ie. at a point in one's life like I am experiencing, one expects to "broaden one's horizons." At the very least, one can expect daily life to look a little different.

For color, anything goes! I'm asking my beemates to take the liberty - please! - to use it abstractly. I love the work of digital artist Grant Haffner - the layering and his use of multi-colors. I'm hoping they are as inspired by it as well, as they create their own horizons in fabric.

As for size, I'm asking for one rectangular block in a landscape orientation, approximately 8"-10" tall, which would mean about 30"-40" wide, depending on the block's height.

The 'horizons' shown here are all photos taken by my husband or I from places we've walked, lived, or traveled. I expect the blocks I receive from my mates to include a hint of a real horizon, but one that I've never seen before.... of bright, exciting places I can only dream of.