I am happiest when I challenge myself to tackle a project with elements that are new to me. Projects with visual interest, structural complexity and new techniques interest me the most. I like a challenge because I am fearless.

I am on a journey. Every project I choose teaches me something new - whether it be a technique, tool or approach. I am building a set of skills and knowledge. 

"About Trout" has been such a journey. I began the project with a very structural approach. My first trout head was a kaleidoscope of color, but it didn't look like any trout I had ever seen or imagined. This is how I discovered that thread changes are often just a stop sign for the machine, an opportunity to trim something or place another piece of fabric. 

From that first simple insight, to figuring out how to stitch those trout "hackles" and give life to the flies was another challenge. In the early going, the flies were the most frustrating. Early efforts ended in frustration and the waste of much stabilizer, fabric, thread and time. Those tiny little flies shown in the pattern along with limited instructions were probably great advice for people who had done this before, but this was all new to me. I contacted the pattern designer to learn more and then I was able to move ahead to the finish line. Now I am quite happy with the result and i've named the quilt, "If You're Not Doing It, You're Thinking About It!"