Quilt challenge

For some odd reason, even though I have a slew of unfinished quilt projects (18 and counting if you must know) I insist that a friend participate in a quilt challenge each year. The rules vary from year to year but basically we are to use a new technique, use a fabric choice we normally would never use etc.

To participate in a quilt challenge is insane for me as I hand piece and I know I will never finish anything in 365 days yet every January I optimistically assume that I will. Case in point – for our 2014 challenge we were to each use a selected piece of modern quilt fabric. I used a cute Riley Blake raccoon fabric and my friend got a print with large pineapples on it. I then decided I would further challenge myself by making an autobiographical sampler quilt with my raccoons. So, for example, I put in Dutchman’s puzzle as my mother’s family come from Dutch stock, there is a Colorado star for my birthplace etc. I should mention that I am still working on this quilt as hand piecing takes forever. My friend wisely chose a big block pattern and machine pieced it. I don’t think she has quilted it down yet so we both are not yet technically done but still…she is so much farther ahead than I am. I’m closing in though – just have to put on some borders….

Even though I never complete these things on time I do learn valuable lessons. For example, I learned two things from the 2014 challenge: the first being I should have really thought out my complementary color palate before starting, and after having figured out the palate to sticking with either solids or smaller prints that read as solid; the second being that working with different sized blocks can be very frustrating. I also probably shouldn't have used such traditional blocks but I'm on the fence about this. Other modern quilts do use traditional pieced blocks but on a smaller scale. I can say that I grew as a quilter from having participated in this particular challenge but I can also say that I probably won’t repeat trying to work with different sized blocks unless I have a predetermined pattern on how to use them. I will definitely try working with modern quilt fabrics again though but with a little more thought put into it this time. In the meanwhile I'm posting the quilt pre borders/sashing. I hope to have the completed quilt top posted soon.

Creative Frustration

I seem to have hit a wall creatively. I don’t feel like doing any of my various crafts lately. I finally forced myself to resume working on a machine pieced quilt I had started before I broke my ankle. The quilt isn’t anything special, just a way to use up some pinks form an earlier project and is intended for the cats to loll about on. Yet I am having the worst time working on it. It is boring. There is no real contrast and the pinks are greyed pink so there is not sparkle or brightness to the quilt either. I know I shouldn’t care as the cats certainly won’t and the project is supposed to be a stash buster. However, it is very difficult to work on something that doesn’t sing to me. Of course, I then started to think – “what if I threw in some black. I don’t have black, maybe I should get some.” Err, this type of thinking is not going to help the stash busting.

It didn’t help matters in that I’ve seen two fabulous gardens that just look gorgeous and have color everywhere. One of these is Keelya Meadow’s garden. She always knows how to put colors together and she had a beautiful display of pink, purple and orange tulips that took my breath away. Then, this past weekend, we went and saw the “bulb guys” garden. While he doesn’t have the artistic styling’s of Ms. Meadows his yard too was fabulous. He had tons of tulips, daffodils, anemones etc laid out and it was wonderful to look at. Now, of course, I cannot wait to plant my own bulbs but in the meanwhile maybe I should take some ideas form these gardens and try them in a new quilt – right after pink the ugly is done .