Sneaky Art

My son, along with every other senior in his high school, is required to complete a "Senior Project," in order to graduate from high school.  The students are required to "research a topic of (his) choosing which will be developed into a research paper."  After multiple attempts to get his first idea approved and multiple rejections, he has thrown in the towel and is back to square one.  He wanted to learn the ropes in terms of becoming a professional musician from real pros, put together a jazz band and get a gig.  I have a wonderful friend who is a professional musician that talked trumpet players/recording artists Wayne Bergeron and David Washburn into agreeing to help mentor my son on his project.  It's now so late in the term that it just can't be done within the time constraints imposed, so he's starting over and very worried.  He needs to find a project for which he can write a lengthy research paper, conduct a minimum of 15 hours of field work, all of which must represent a learning stretch.

They want a stretch?  Here's a stretch.  Take an 18 year old boy that plays the trumpet and is obsessed with online computer games and teach him how to quilt.  He can make a quilt for donation to a service organization like Project Linus or The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Raising Awareness & Funding Research Through Art.  I'm thinking, "Momma's going to get some art done and have company doing it!"  We'll have tandem sewing machines (I get the Bernina!).  He actually has another (unrelated) project idea that he hopes will be approved (creating and implementing an emergency preparedness plan since we live in an earthquake/wild fire zone).  Personally, I hope the quilting one is approved ;-)  It would do him good to learn to sew, to break out and do something completely foreign and even contribute to a wonderful cause.  He cringes every time I remind him how much he begged me to let him sew when he was little.  He can make a mean bean bag and whatever that blob of fabric scraps stitched together was supposed to be.  He had so much fun.

About 1999 or so, before renovation of my dining room and before having a real studio.  I had one happy little boy on my hands, making bean bags from fabric scraps on my old machine.

Maybe I'll get some to sneak in some creative time while Kevin is working on a quilt in my studio.  What is more fun that creating art with someone else?  Even if we aren't working on the same project, working side-by-side would be a lovely way to spend time with him.