What makes a Good Challenge?

"Sun Fish", started 2006 completed 2008, Batty Binder's Quilt Guild Challenge, Lisa Broberg Quintana 36" square.

I am preparing to host a challenge for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge, an online yahoo group I have belonged to for several years.  I struggle with the idea of challenges.

Don't get me wrong.  I have done a lot of challenges.   But I am sometimes beleaguered at present with the thought that perhaps I shouldn't do challenges anymore. You see, sometimes I think you can be wound up in doing challenges that you don't do more significant work, or do pieces which improve your body of work, or at least further it in some what.

In the quilting world, challenges are done among a group of quilters.  A challenge is issued to the group, based on any one or number of things: an idea, a word, a size, a shape,technique,  a particular fabric....ad infinitum.  Then, all the people who participate share their interpretation of the theme.

Challenges are particularly useful if you are having a dry period and can't seem to come up with anything on your own.  It is a great jump-starter.  It is also good if you want to experiment and explore other areas of quilting.  I also enjoy the camaraderie and love to see what others come up with.

Having said that, however, I also often run into challenges which make me balk, snarl and regret that I have ever said I would do it.  Most of the time, this is when you have a challenge which has too many rules.  As an art quilter, I tend to be a free spirit and while a few rules are OK, too many? Well, they're just stifling. Take for instance "Sun Fish."

"Sun Fish" started out as a Guild challenge with the Batty Binders.  The concept was great.  The chairman of the challenge issued us all a fat Quarter of the fabric, this fish print I think was by Hoffman.  Then, we played "Go Fish" to create the rest of the rules.  The rules specified how many borders, how many additional fabrics you could add, that you were supposed to use beads or buttons as an embellishment ...and I think there were a few more.

While I liked the "go fish" concept and thought it played into the theme quite well....I struggled as my stubbornness in people telling me what to do in my quilts just aggravated me.  I did learn on this piece...such as why you should use a foundation if you're making these little needle-like rayed borders (I didn't, they stretch and are easily misshapen!).  I was going to add beads...but when I started sewing them on, I just didn't like the look. So...I broke a rule.

"Scotties" 2008, Lisa Broberg Quintana 

This particular quilt was part of an "ugly fabric" challenge.  We were all given a fat quarter of fabric that the leaders deemed "ugly" and we were to use it in a quilt.  The "ugly" in this was the pink and green diagonally printed plaid fabric.  I saw this and immediately thought of the 1940s/50s scotties.  This, however, was the only rule involved.

The Fast Friday Fabric Challenge is a closed group of fiber artists who receive a challenge on the last Friday of the month and are given a week to complete a small piece based on the challenge. "Challenges will attempt to stretch members in their skills and creativity, encourage thinking outside the box, will teach new techniques and concepts. "

I asked the group, as well as the whole Quilt Art message board, what they thought composed the best challenges.  In the past year, the most popular, as well as the ones cited by members as being the best were ones which were rooted in traditional art--such as Gestalt, chiaroscuro, or J. M. W. Turner's use of light, or pieces which were to convey an emotion.   In general, members were looking for pieces which allowed them to express their own ideas and "excited their creativity."  Like me, they balked at challenges which required you to follow too many rules.  Syd Harper said "I need a challenge which is like a dare.  Something which says 'oh, you know you can't do it."  A number of members indicated that they liked challenges which explored different techniques.  

Kathy Loomis has been doing a series on "The Challenge of Challenges" which was a happy co-incidence to my posing the question.  She has several posts on her blog commencing with 12/3/2012.  If you go to her blog, you can see the other posts and click on the additional "Challenge of Challenges" to see where she goes with it.  One aspect that Kathy does is sort of interesting.  In essence, she sees the call for entries for quilt shows as often being challenges as they state the theme.  I have toyed with this concept and indeed have made pieces specifically to fit a show's theme although I am not sure if that is the best way for me to operate. I think that I would rather do pieces which fill my soul and explore areas I'm working on (that is a series) and if I find a show it fits, then put it in.  Sometimes I think I am spinning my wheels creating works just to go into a show.

"In Orchid Paradise," Lisa Broberg Quintana

A few pieces I have done for other challenges:  "In Orchid Paradise" was a challenge issued by the American Orchid Society in conjunction with a local quilt guild and shop.  I created this piece based on a poster by Alfonse Mucha.  It took a second place prize...the green fabric background, the orchid print (which I cut out and fused down) and a small pink polka-dot fabric were included in the challenge fabric packet.

Hoffman Fabrics issues a challenge every year, and while I entered that one once and created one which I didn't get done in time twice, I have never gotten into the show.  Robert Kaufman fabrics used to issue a challenge and I entered it twice, and got in twice (El Ritmo Flamenco and Tuscan Lady Bellingham both got in).  In addition, I also did another Much based piece and entered in Luanna Ruben/Robert Kaufman's " Life, Love and Hope" exhibition which was selected for the show.

I will probably continue doing challenges...but hopefully, I will be a lot more selective and make sure that they continue pushing me down a path rather than diverting me.

This is my post for Nina Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays."  You can see other participants here.

Digging Out

Yesterday, we got a pretty prodigious snow storm...really, the first appreciable one of the season although we had some scuffling earlier.  In a lull yesterday, I took a shot of one of the little birds sheltering in my lilac bush outside my dining room window.  At first I was excited because I thought it was a Common Redpoll and my mom had just told me she had seen them at her feeder in Cut Bank, Montana--something she didn't expect.

However, I'm pretty sure that it was merely a Purple Finch.  He has a bright red patch on his head and rump streaks on his breast with the red on his breast being lighter than on his head.

Today was brighter and clearer, although the drifting made the roads treacherous, so I spent the day digging out my office (something I was also doing yesterday and I predict for several days into the future) and my husband was digging out the house.

Here's another shot this time of the feeder.  I was waiting for the male cardinal which was on the opposite side of the feeder to come around...but instead I stuck with the finches and the little nuthatch who came to take advantage of the sunflower seeds.

Mid-19th Century Doll Quilt

I have a small collection of antique and vintage quilts.  As a former museum curator, I have mixed feelings about it.  Textiles are notoriously difficult to maintain properly.  But, sometimes I come across something that I can't resist.

This little quilt is a wonder.  It measures 10.5" x 11.5".  It is bound on the top edge, and has tiny little prairie points all around the edge.  The dots are carefully hand appliqued on the background cotton and the whole thing is quilted with a simple quilting stitch with a very thin batt.  The red is a turkey red.

Whenever I look at it, I wonder if it was a Christmas present made for a darling niece or granddaughter.  I have no idea of its history because....I bought it with a lot of scrap quilting fabrics on eBay.  I suggest it was made by an aunt or grandmother as I remember my mother saying "oh, mother's rarely had time to make doll clothes and dollie items....those are the area of doting single or older aunts and grandmas!"

So, as my Christmas tree awaits the morrow...I wish you all a good night.  

The Last Christmas Gift

Once again, I missed the Off-the-Wall Friday blog roll.  In fact, I've missed a lot this week because I have had my head down trying to finish a quilt I undertook for a friend, and to spice things up a little, I had a liver biopsy which sort of threw me off a little.

Last year at this time, my friend Stephanie Ely was spending her last days in hospice.  Stephanie fought pancreatic cancer for a little over two years.  She died on December 26 (even though the Obit. got the date wrong...it was Monday, Dec. 26) with her parents, two sons, and husband at her side.

I met Stephanie through the Noble Circle Project.  She was an extremely artistic soul, and had once been a photo journalist for Stars and Stripes as well as for the St. Petersburg Times and the Orlando Sentinel.  She asked me if I would teach her how to art quilt....and I said sure...but I never got the chance for just 9 months after I met her, Stephanie succumbed the disease.

Shortly later, her husband Rob asked our little group if we knew anyone who quilted.... I said yes...what did he need? Well, their son Travis was graduating from the Coast Guard Academy and Stephanie (Stevie to those who knew her well) had purchased some fabric intending to make Travis a quilt her other son Will, who is my daughter's age, a tied fleece blanket from the college he was going to.  So...I undertook the task.

I had no idea how much angst this quilt was going to cause me.  First, the panels (the two light houses and the clipper ships) were not printed straight...so I had to cover up the warble with trim.  Then, I decided I really needed to use the Coast Guard Emblem...no problem! I thought I have two machine which do embroidery, one a Janome 300e and the embroidery module for the Bernina 440.  Except for one thing....I'm not terribly proficient at it since I rarely use them.  When I tried to use the Janome, the machine told me it was too big for the hoop.  Since the Bernina hoops I had were the same size, I had to borrow a friend's hoop who had the Mega Hoop.  I chickened out and went over to her house to do it on her machine.  When we first tried it, I noticed that the background was stitching out in ....GREEN.  Well, this wasn't what was on the photo, and so I had to do it again.

I used 4 paper pieced mariner's compass stars to fill out part of the pattern...not terribly well done as I don't usually do paper piecing.....and I have terrific trouble with my hands.  But...I got them done.  I decided to spell out Travis' name in marine signal flags...and I had to figure out how I was going to do those little flags with the changes....but they turned out pretty well.  The other images were of Stephanie, Rob and Stephanie, and the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock which was Travis' training vessel.  All well and good. Top was pieced.

I sandwiched it and quilted it.....only.....two problems.  My hands are so numb that my quilting wasn't very good.  On top of it, I have a Bernina 440 whose tension seems to be demonic. In fact, I am fairly certain it is a lemon. After struggling and quilting the whole thing, including a rope border...I looked at it...and decided I had to rip the whole thing out as it was terrible...both from the bad tension and from my icky hand situation.
So...for the last week and a half, I have been practicing free-motion quilting feathers....and spend this last week quilting it. I quilted it on my cheap little Janome...a $500 machine instead of my $2,800 Bernina...and although I didn't have problems with the tension on the Janome, I did have a problem with the needle falling out as I wasn't able to finger tightening it tight enough given the numbness of my hands.  I took this photo before blocking it...which it needed because of the distortion from ripping out all the quilting and re-quilting.

 I finished the quilt tonight...So tomorrow, I will put on the label and a hanging sleeve so that Rob and Will can pick it up on the way to visit Travis in Michigan.

 It isn't the best of jobs...but it is done.  I'm just hoping that no one looks too carefully at the quilting...or the mariner's stars....I wanted to do this for Stephanie and for Travis.  I hope that it will somehow help them that Stephanie's wishes for Christmas gifts are finally being realized on this anniversary of her death...which was unfortunately at a time which is usually happy for most families.

This is Rob and Stephanie in May, 2011 on board the Hollyhock.

The Hollyhock at the Blue Water Bridge, Port Huron, MI.

Stephanie James Ely, 1953-2011.

So, Steph, sorry it took me a while..and it isn't quite what I used to be able to do....but I'm glad I at least got the chance to quilt with you....even if you weren't here physically.

Nina-Marie re-opened the Off-the-Wall-Fridays so I could get this in as this stupid computer took too long to open for me to write it and post before midnight.  So...link up for other creative posts here.  

UFOs from Others

I have been practicing quilting for the last two days....trying to make my hands re-learn how to free-motion machine quilt, working hard to get around the fact that I can't feel my fingertips and thus have less control over what I quilt.

Hopefully, I will be able to get the KenQuilt 622 set up soon.  I have to move a ton of stuff so that we can tear off paneling so that my husband can access the wiring to re-wire it so I can have the sewing side of the basement lighted independently of the other side....and so that he can put a new light fixture in the ceiling and put an outlet in the ceiling to plug the machine into.

In the mean time, I have been watching eBay to pick up some other people's UFOs to practice on.  This one intrigued me.  In the eBay shot, it didn't look this pink.  This is an interesting, if rather unsuccessful quilt, for  a couple of reasons.  The quilter chose red and blue bandanna prints to mix with solids to make this Ohio Star.  It was set without sashing so that one piece bleeds into the other. Because the bandanna prints have large areas of lighter print mixed in with darker, the star doesn't hold its edges well.  The white is set in the center and on all four corner.  I'm not much of a one for pink and red together.

This is a huge quilt, almost king size.  This is the best I could do to show you what it looks like, hung over the  Bannister of the second floor landing.

Although the seller sold it "new, without any problems," this was not the case.  The quilter wasn't careful to make sure she had adequate seam allowances.  My guess is that she didn't pin anything or really watch what she was doing.  I have several areas which I am going to have to re-sew.  In reality, I should rip out the row and re-sew it...but I won't, I will just go back in and close up the hole with the appropriate seam allowance which will probably mean that there will be a pucker.  Since this isn't a good design to begin with, I don't mind.  Once I finish it, I'll probably donate it to a shelter, or to the Red Cross to give to family's who have suffered a fire.  But the best part is that it will give me a chance to practice and whatever comes of it will be fine.

This piece probably dates to the mid-1970s.

A Fiber Christmas Card

I have a very talented quilting friend whose work you have seen here many times before.  Joan Sterr has a wonderful habit of sending me hand-made fiber Christmas cards.  This one is a felt snowman mounted on a silver sparkly denim.  The selvedge at the bottom makes it look like grass, and the buttons/eyes and stars are all sequins.  Way fun...

I envy her as she must start very early to get them made and out...even if she does home made ones for a select few...and I'm honored I get them.  Rest assured, I save them all and I am getting quite a cool collection of cards that people have sent me or that I have purchased at various fund raising auctions.

This is short and sweet as I MUST get back to working on some quilts and I am going to be out of commission tomorrow as I have some tests done. 

Twelve Twelve Twelve a mixed bag of things

I have been behind and dragging a little.  Not surprising, but none the less. I did this little piece to participate in Karen Musgrave's call to do 12" square pieces in honor of 12/12/12.  I got mine done except for the quilting (why is it that we think it is done if it isn't quilted? It's only halfway done!!!).

My piece is painted on canvas.  It has the sun in the center as supposedly 26,000 years ago, the sun aligned in the center of the galaxy, which it does again in December 2012.  All the wording around the piece is the word "twelve" in various languages.  I machine quilted it with swirly patterns and zigzagged in a limey green around the edge.

I have been trying to follow through with quilty things I say I am going to do.  One of the things which I signed up with and did not do well in following through is the Free Motion Quilting challenge.  That's OK as I am playing catch up now, and it doesn't matter if I qualify for the prizes as the whole point of it for me is to re-learn free-motion quilting with my hands which don't want to work or feel and my funky eyesight.

So, here is the piece which I was supposed to do in January...that is if I had known about it in January.  I didn't sign up for the project until March.  I learned something very useful in doing this 8" piece....I have a tendency to go very very fast and I actually quilt better now if I take it slow.  I also noticed on the 12-12-12 piece that I forget what I am doing.

I'm a frantic to practice my quilting as I have a quilt I am working on for a deceased friend..I've taken far too long on it.  I quilted it, and realized that my tension was off and I was generally unhappy with the quilting....so I kissed my seam ripper and ripped ALL the quilting out of it and I need to get started and get it done...as I want to give it to her husband to give to their son for Christmas...and it is particularly important as she died December 26 last year.  Stitch rippers, or seam rippers, or the unsewing tool is my beloved friend as it gives us a second (or third) chance to "get it right."

Now, for the last little bit, here is my collection of  netsukes...or at least part of my collection as I have I think four more.  I meant to put this up on my 12-12-12 face book page...but didn't get to it.  Netsukes are miniature carvings which were originally made to secure bags or boxes to the obi or sashes of Japanese men's garments.

Mine are all modern and probably all made in China.  I am not even sure if they are all hand carved anymore, but they are finely carved and I delight in their images and the way the wood feels in my hand. Several of these pieces, particularly the rodents are for prosperity,  several such as the old man and the dragon turtle are symbols of longevity...but mostly I choose them because of their shape or carvings.  The deer in the back was just gorgeous.  The horse in the front (the darker one) was graceful.  The funky one in the front row laying on its back is a bat, which is a good luck symbol in Japan.  The sheep? Well, I have a thing for sheep as we used to raise them.

Sadly, I meant this to be in the Off-The-Wall Friday linky, but I discovered that I had lost track of time up quilting...and oops...the linky closed!  Better luck next week. :)

Now...I'm putting up another photo....so you can see just how important quilting is to adding to the piece...