Quiltart Quinceanera: Celebrating 15 years of contemporary quilting on the web

The QuiltArt list is Celebrating 15 years of contemporary quilting and in honor of the event members were invited to make a 15 inch square piece to celebrate what QuiltArt has meant to them over the years.

Here is my piece for the celebration:

They ended up with 80 quilts. 
Quinceanera: Celebrating 15 years of contemporary quilting on the web, can be seen here.

Each photo on the top page links to an individual page.

Here are some detail shots of my piece.

I spent over a day hand stitching the beads

I used Scrabble pieces to embellish the piece, the points add up to 15.

The piece represents my journey from learning how to make traditional quilts, to discovering how to paint with fabric and create art quilts as my artistic voice.

Joy

The QuiltArt list had a discussion about a word for 2010. Instead of thinking about complex goals or resolutions, break it down to one manageable word as the year's theme.

I decided on the word Joy.

So far this year has brought me great joy. Just weeks into the new year my husband, who had been unemployed for over two and a half years got a job. We are both beyond thrilled with this news and excited to start the new phase of our life. He starts in 2 weeks.

Below is the first piece I made, when I was done it didn't "feel right." It now hangs in my office at work, so I can be reminded to find joy during the challenges of teaching teenagers.

I covered up a picture above our fireplace with some fabric and hung the Joy over it so I can look at often since I spend most of my time in the Living room/studio.

Here it is on my design board above my last piece, I thought it was an interesting combination.

I hope that your 2010 is filled with joy as well.