Challenges.....

I'm not big on competitions...period. I like challenging myself to 'stretch' my limits, all of them. I see creativity as a process that needs to be challenged. We get so 'good' at what we love doing

and stay in the comfort zone. Sometimes way tooooo much.

A challenge between friends, or a c0-create(which sounds more friendly *VBS*) is fun! Betsy and I do that every so often. This past spring Tonya and Bonnie did a challenge together, working from common scraps to each create their own version of a little crumb quilt. And before that a similar challenge found Bonnie with a full size string star quilt.

This little quilt resulted from a challenge I had with myself..*G*. On the annual 'house' walk for my guild, we were given a fabric strip lei to wear at the final destination. That was where the year was celebrated, and our potluck took place. There were close to a hundred of us, so lots of ugly fabrics got 'striped' and put onto jute forming the leis. Most threw theirs away on the bus, or even before we left. I collected 3 or 4 of them, wondering what I could make from those strips of fabric....LOL Most were 1.5" to 2.5" wide. Occasionally one was slightly wider. Of course I had to untie and press out all those strips...LOL. Not fun, challenging. I gave 2 of the leis to a quilting friend, and worked from 2.
Believe it or not, this little 26" quilt used almost everything. The only thing I added was the Tom Turkey strip cut from those pre-printed panels and the border and binding fabric. Obviously these are PROBABLY not the fabrics I would have chosen to make these blocks! But I made them anyway, with anything that sort of worked. Everything is based on 2.5" and 5.5" It wouldn't have to be that way, but that was my choice. I could have made just 4 patches or 9 patches, but chose not to do that. I could have done string piecing, but few pieces were more than 3" or 4" long.
Once I had the scraps pressed out, I used the longest ones for the houses and then the log cabins, piecing as many as strips would permit. I moved on to the flying geese next, and last of all I pieced what was big enough into 4 patches. The only spot NOT filled was right up there next to the left hand house. I didn't have enough geese to put there, and didn't want 'just a plain strip, so I used the word. Works for me..*VBS* It's a crazy kind of quilt, not what you'd expect with whimsey and why-nots? It was fun. And not so different from the making of an orphan block quilt top.

I had been going to post progress pictures today, from the sewing room, but that will have to keep, due to the extra hours spent trying to get my blog back together....LOL. About 11 p.m. yesterday, I suceeded in having my Neo Counter re-appear....gosh, only took me 24 hours...LOL A new record. I will show you what I have been working soon, hopefully tomorrow, promise! And I should have a link ready by then, for you to link to the new blog concerning Orphan Train quilts. If you want to play along, dig out some leftover parts, blocks or just plain scraps and get busy! It is an ongoing project and challenge. Hugs, Finn