2011 Challenges

Boy, that sounds ominous!


This is not that kind of post ... you know the kind where people talk about about deep personal issues and try to solve the world's problems.


I am way too shallow for that kind of blogging today.


What I really want to talk about is the little challenge I have taken on this year.


Every year I join a group that is set up to present a crafty challenge for just one year.


Last year it was socks (I'm still working on that!), the year before handbags, the year before... well you get the idea.


This year I've joined a group at The Quilt Room in Huffman that is based on fat quarters.


Every month each of us will be given a fat quarter of fabric and a challenge on how to use that fat quarter.  The first month you pay $5.00, and if you present a project the next month, you get the next fat quarter free.  The only restriction is that you can not use more than three yards of other fabrics to make your submission.


BTW, a fat quarter of fabric approximately 18" by half the width of the fabric.  In general, for quilting cottons, a fat quarter is cut 18" x 22".  A normal quarter yard is cut 9" x by the full width of the fabric... in this example it would be 9" x 44".


I was truly intrigued as I have an embarrassing number of fat quarters and I am always looking for more ways to use them.


About fifteen of us gathered last Saturday morning and this is the fabric we were given:

In case the colors don't come through, it is basically grey dots with a slight lavender cast to it.  When I saw it I thought elegant, simple and classic.


Then I heard that the challenge was to use hot colors to make something with this lovely fat quarter.


After I mulled it over I began by selecting a variegated pink thread and quilting the fat quarter with swirly circles.  


Great!  Now I had a fat quarter, fully quilted but no idea what to do with it.


Instead of tearing out all that quilting I went back to the Gilbert Nuniz class I took at Quilt Festival on drafting handbag patterns and this what I came up with:

Another zipper pouch!

I added the flower and buttons after I had sewn it up because I realized it needed a little something.


Note to self:  make embellishment decisions before sewing the project.


The hot pink fabric I found for the flower turned into the lining and zipper fob.

I will use this pouch to carry my stuff for this monthly challenge this year and next year I will re-purpose it for something else.


As long as it holds up I will have a great remembrance of the Year of the Fat Quarter.  


Wish me luck with the coming challenges.