Challenge

I recently got a fabric catalog in the mail from Keepsake Quilting. This catalog had a report on the winners of the recent "Back to Basics Keepsake Challenge." For the non-quilters--or those of you whose mothers didn't own a quilt store--in a quilting challenge, a group of fabrics are chosen and the quilter has to make something out of them--she can do any kind of quilting and even add fabrics, but she has to use all the original fabrics. The ones my mother participated in (if you call planning and cutting and piecing but not finishing, "participating"), usually started with the ugliest fabrics the group could find. Take that!

I was just thinking how fun it would be to do this for stitching. I tried it once with some of my needlework friends, but they weren't into it. I chose a pattern of a quilt block but didn't give colors or any restrictions as to fiber or fabric. It was fun to try to come up with colors and textures that would work. I finished it as a needlebook and I was supposed to give it to MB, my needle-book collecting friend, although I think it is tucked away somewhere instead. Bad friend. I shouldn't even be thinking this because I have to get the UFO pile whittled down, but if you would participate, let me know! There are plenty of little free patterns that we could use. Some designers even make challenge patterns. And you could send digital pictures, what fun!

Oh, and amy!, next time I'm at my parents, we should go up to Center Harbor, NH--Keepsake Quilting, Keepsake NeedleArts, and Pattern Works are all in the same place! (Have I already said that?)