Quiltivate

New Blocks This Week - June, Week 4

With more blocks come more ideas and more opportunities to share the masterpieces you've created, so we've added five more blocks to the site this week. The five blocks this week are a little different from everything already up there:

Flying Geese

Kaleidoscope

Sun Rays

Stained Glass

Windblown Puzzle

I look forward to seeing your quilts and hearing your feedback on these new blocks!

Encouragers

Do you have a friend or family member who is your quilting encourager? I bet most of you can think of at least one person who has been a positive influence on you -- someone who has given you fabric-buying tips or slip-stitching shortcuts (if you know of any of these, let me know -- this part always seems to take forever)! :o)

Well, I have learned more things than I can count from my amazingly talented Mom and my two gifted Grandmothers, but quilting wasn't actually one of those things. This is one special gift I was encouraged to try by my great friend Sheri!

Sheri is the one who originally said to me, "I think you should try quilting -- I bet you'd like it." Now, I will admit that I'm one of those people who basically likes almost anything, so I'm a sucker for statements like this and I'll usually try it. What I didn't anticipate was that I'd like quilting this much. Sheri suggested the Log Cabin block to start and she showed me the basics of strip piecing, then she took me shopping for fabric. Except for this little jump start from my friend and an endless sharing of resources, I have no training in quilting, but I can't get enough of it. Sheri isn't a professional or trained quilter -- she just loves it, too.

We're two very different quilters, but she is always an incredible encouragement to me! For example, I am scared to death of color (not just on fabric -- in my house and my wardrobe, too!), but Sheri always seems to pick just the right fabrics and colors that look great together but aren't overwhelming. We understand each others' tastes and can offer fabric suggestions or fun resources that the other will appreciate. Sheri excels at creatively piecing quilt tops and I zip through that part so I can get to the hand-stitching of the quilting. We have co-created many baby blankets for friends by each doing our favorite parts. And, I always appreciate Sheri's enthusiasm and interest in the more complex areas of quilting and fabric I wouldn't even know how to approach.

So, I've asked my encourager and friend Sheri to be a part of Quiltivate! You'll see her posting on this blog and in the forums. I know you'll appreciate her fresh perspective just as much as I do, so thanks for welcoming my encourager: Sheri!

PTO for Quilting

Have you ever used your Paid Time Off at work to finish a quilting project? I'm going to have to admit right now that I have done that before and I'm seriously considering doing it again tomorrow!

Like many of you, I work full-time and have other hobbies and interests that take up most of my time and attention, so quilting is that one escape that I get to do sparingly and really cherish when I get to do it. My original goal with this hobby when I started quilting a few years ago hasn't changed: I want to make quilts for friends and family that will be passed down from generation to generation with pride. Needless to say, I don't have much time to make quilts just for fun and experimentation, so all of my quilts so far have been made very specifically as gifts for family members celebrating special occasions.

Since my quilts tend to be linked to specific events, that always puts me up against a deadline. I know the quilts don't necessarily have to be done in time for the wedding/birth/Christmas or whatever, but I have a pretty decent track record of getting things done on time, so I feel the pressure to do it every time!

The quilt I'm under pressure for today is for my niece Sadie. She is already almost 1.5 years old and her birthday isn't coming up again for 6+ months. And, in my defense for this quilt not being done before she was born, my sister asked me to make the quilt to match Sadie's room, and I didn't get a sample of the paint color until Sadie's first birthday. :o) So, the reason I'm in a rush now after all of these delays is because we're making a trip to visit my family this weekend and I want to present it to little Sadie in person!

Sadie's quilt is a simple one: small squares and two big borders with hand-stitched cross-hatch quilting. I finished the hand-quilting last night, so tonight is binding night. Hopefully I'll get it done in time to run it through the washing machine and wrap it before we leave after work tomorrow! I promise to share pictures when it's complete, but tonight is crunch-time ... and I may or may not be using a "personal" day to get it finished up tomorrow!

Innovate ... Cultivate ...

If you've scoured the web for quilting resources and information like I have, no doubt you'll agree there is tons of information to be found. What I've also found just as many times as I've searched, is that the actual search can be a stressful undertaking! I get worried that my pointer will turn into marching ants (as it did on one website recently) or wish after a few jumps I'd remembered my sunglasses to ease my eyes. More than once I have searched through hundreds of blocks looking for ideas and left frustrated because I just couldn't imagine my fabrics instead of the flannels and flowers pictured.

Quilting probably originated out of necessity, but today, it's also supposed to be a fun and enjoyable hobby -- from concept to completion! That's why we created Quiltivate. This community is dedicated to encouraging you and supporting your creativity. You can browse or search through the blocks and share projects you've done using those blocks, or just explore what others have done to inspire your own innovation.

I have lots of ideas for the future of Quiltivate, but, most of all, I want this to be a place where you can come to cultivate your creativity by connecting with other quilters!

If you have ideas or feedback, I'd love to hear from you! I'll be spending a lot of time in the Quiltivate forums and on this blog, but you can always reach me via email, too: quiltivate@gmail.com.

Welcome!