So I'm Flora, Hi.✋ I will be one of your moderators/motivators for this cruse, Please fasten your seatbelts, exits are 👈👆👇👉
I thought I would start this shebang with an introduction to, what in the heck we are all doing here, for those out there who might not know what all the fuss is about.
First some history, because we've been here longer than you think!
The Crazy Quilt Journal Project was started somewhere between 2013 and 2015 I don't remember. I do remember that my first pinned for the CQJP was January of 2015.
So I started contributing to the bead Journal project in 2010, which had been in full swing for a couple of years by then. There were a few of us who liked that so much, we suggested it for the people on Crazy Quilting International, who ran with it from there. But I don't remember when it actually started.
I do remember that when doing the BJP having a theme for the year made getting a monthly project done was much easier for me, than my usual higglty-pigglety. so I started to apply that to my Crazy Quilting as well around the same time.
<This Was the first project I finished for that.
This has been a wonderful space for encouragement, community, fellowship and learning. I have found the people in our community of crazy Quilters to be most generous with their knowledge, willing to stop and give advice and of course share their eye candy!
I have grown and expanded my own abilities and capabilities, from watching and asking questions of, these wonderful talented people and I think you will too.
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| 3 From last year |
This is why I have been a member of CQI since, (wOe-nellie!), 2007ish. Woof! That was a loong time ago! I had to go into the way back machine to find this, the first
project I ever entered photos for. Wow that was back when we were on yahoo groups!
Anyway, all this is to say the CQJP has been a very satisfying project to work on for many of us and fulfilling on so many levels. I encourage you all to take a crack at it.
Everyone is welcome, sign up, just follow the instructions on the "How to register" page, read the rules (yes all of them!) and start thinking about your project. Easy-peasy right? It get it can be a little intimidating at first, but by the end, you will wonder where the time went I assure you! And you will have 12 finished blocks, to do whatever you want with!
My Advise to start is Pick a theme for all 12 blocks.
- Start with a color scheme, something to hang your stitches on.
- This can start with a favorite fabric you pull colors from
- I have a metric ton of Ideas on my pintrest page including colors, critters, inspirational motifs and illustrations, books, other people who's work I admire, embroidery, etcetera. It's a big ol' rabbit hole in which to fall.
*When using a professional artists motifs or ideas please attribute them with their name & webpage*Then then we can go from there you can use, as your jumping off point, your favorite
- music-A favorite song album or musician/band Elvis, the Beatles or Sinatra for example
- poem-my first BJP used a poem by E.E. Cummings for its images
- Movie or TV- Downton Abby, Outlander, Knives out, star trek, firefly, D&D
- Book- Agatha Christie, Barbara Cartwright, Jane Austin, Dickens, the color purple
- Animal-Cats dogs birds etc
- Flowers of the month
- Fairies, Mermaids, Pirates
- Places-The states/countries/vacations you have visited
- Holidays
You get the picture.
I have used the CQJP to try new techniques and expand my stitch vocabulary. Sharon Boggins TAST is great for this. I set a challenge for myself one year, to only use one stitch type per block. The first month was as many versions of buttonhole stitch as I could find for the first block and so on throughout the year.
Step up your Silk ribbon game, by challenging yourself, to add more to each successive block or just to use it at all. I found Silk ribbon to be intimidating at first, but like everything practice makes perfect! You will ruin some along the way and that's OK! we've all done it.
Use more embellishments on each block like ribbons, beads, lace, found objects, large motifs, buttons, millinery flowers, charms, old broken jewelry parts, sequins, feathers. Heck I've seen a Crazy quilt where the lady used a taxidermied squirrel! So there are really no hard and fast rules for what you can use.
*Most of all have fun! *
This is not a contest. This is a place to find your Zen and make beautiful things. Now go do that!
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