Today, I am excited to share with you about Creative Quilt Challenges, a new book collaboration between Wendy Hill and Pat Pease and published by C&T Publishing. If you have been hanging around my blog, I hope that you know that I believe that everyone is creative (and if you have not been to my blog before, welcome! You might want to check out some of the discussions we have had on creativity and my free tutorials). When I read Wendy’s dedication at the beginning of the book, I knew I wanted to learn more:
To creative people everywhere: If you want to think outside the box, first you have to believe there is no box! Keep making stuff! ~Wendy Hill
I had a lovely email discussion with Wendy, and we both agree that someone who buys a quilt kit and makes a quilt is creative and putting themselves out into the world in a personal way that people who never make anything don’t. It might be on one end of the creative continuum, but we also agreed that creating is a journey worth taking (even if a project spans decades).
Wendy and Pat structured Creative Quilt Challenges in a way to acknowledge what they have in common, and to explore their differences in processing information and approach to design. By blending Pat’s spontaneity and fearlessness with Wendy’s ideas, structure, and organization, they have developed a series of guided challenges that have me thinking about quilt making in a new light.
Each challenge (which you can take alone, with a friend, in a small group, or with your guild) contains tips and techniques. The quilts presented are not destinations, but rather they are an invitation for a journey: a journey to open yourself up to trying something new or different as part of a process to develop your own style as a quilter.
As I sat down to write this post, I realized that having read the book has already influenced me. Last week I had a few free days of “free sewing time” and I set off to start with the basis of the piecing method from my Beacon quilt and allowed myself to play and explore. Beacon might not exactly be an “old block”, but I wanted to start with the construction style for Beacon and try something new which is precisely the “Reimagine an Old Block” Challenge. And I ended up somewhere entirely different:
The journey was fun, full of surprises, and I will definitely be exploring this new layout and design more! I believe the secret to success is to show up, try, learn, modify, and repeat. I will be repeating lessons from these challenges as I continue on my quilting journey, and I invite you to join me.
Blog Tour Calendar
Monday, March 28: Lynn Merrill with C&T Publishing
Tuesday, March 29: Maria Shell
Wednesday, March 30: Sandra Clemons
Thursday, March 31: Tierney Hogan
Friday, April 1:Gina at BOLT Fabric Boutique
Monday, April 4: Yvonne Fuchs
Tuesday, April 5: Kristin Shields
Wednesday, April 6: Paula Mariedaughter
Thursday, April 7: Teri Lucas
Friday, April 8: Wendy Hill, wendyhill.net/blog
Giveaway
I am thrilled to be able to give away a hard copy (international winners get a digital version) of Creative Quilt Challenges! Leave a comment telling me why you want this book in your quilting library. For a second entry, let me know your favorite social media platform way you follow me (lots of options on the sidebar to the right such as via email, Bloglovin, Instagram, Facebook…). Next Monday—April 11, 2016—I will use a random number generator to select a winner. Good luck!
51. I am new to quilting but very intrigued by the idea of a quilt challenge. I love the idea of coming up with something totally different and not planned, start with a small idea and see where it takes me. I am sure that I could find some inspiration in this book, it sounds very interesting.
52. This looks to be an exciting book. I love the idea of participating in challenges to get your creativity back into gear. I find the hardest part of quilting is coming up with ideas and this looks to be a great resource.
53. I would love this book in my library because as a new modern quilter, I have found challenges to be an incredible way to try new things and acquire skills (not to mention have fun!).
54. And I follow you on IG, Periscope and Bloglovin 😀
55. This book would expand the way I approach quilting.
56. Follow you on Bloglovin.
57. Funny, but I’ve been doing this very process since the start of the year, and didn’t really realize it until I read your post. It’s a great way to push oneself, and trying something new WITH others is a great motivator. Then, seeing your Beacon “flip” (hope you get the extra meanings I intend there), resonates because that very thing happened to me on a few projects this year, the main one being that heart improv quilt! So this book resonates with me for all these reasons!
58. I follow you on bloglovin’ and on Instagram 🙂
59. I follow you on Instagram, FB (as Allison CB) and bloglovin!
60. I love a challenge – I work best under pressure of a deadline too (LOL…sometimes….) but I like to see things from a different perspective, something that I would not normally anticipate…
61. I follow you on Instagram x
62. I am quite new to quilting so am soaking up advice, techniques and inspiration x
63. I like your secret to success. A challenge can lift one up and I can see you succeeded.
64. I follow you on instagram.
65. would love the help in the creative department.
66. I follow you on IG.
67. I found you on Facebook! So glad I did.
I love this book. It seems to have so many ways to either start out without a real plan and get beautiful results OR how to get yourself out of the “I hate this quilt” dead end you sometimes find yourself in… hand it over to a friend and let that friend have at it! …or something else.
68. This is the sort of thing that pulls me way out of my comfort zone but it would be good for me. If I were to win this book, I’d add it to our guild’s library so we can do some guild challenges!
69. I think these challenges would be wonderful to try. What a great way to expand your creativity.
70. I just signed up to follow you via email.
71. Well, I am usually a great pattern follower and can make a quilt look great given a pattern. I’m slowly learning to be creative but I really analyze things to the nth degree. This would give me more tools to make progress
72. I follow you through Bloglovin at the moment.
73. So many great creative inspirations in this book. Gives one the courage to try something new.
74. Would be great to have a new book for some inspiration. I get tired of looking at the same ones on the shelf, hehe.
75. I find you on the Giveaway Roundup
76. Sounds interesting. Love your bright project!
77. I really like a quilt book that takes the reader “off the beaten path” like this one. A book with great tips and techniques, photos and challenges are perfect for my liking!
78. I follow your blog on Bloglovin (my favorite) and also am a new IG follower!