Ostrich Challenge Round 4: "Hip to be Square"

Good afternoon!  I hope everyone had a great National Quilting Day and a spirited St. Patrick's Day!  Did you finish Round 3 of your ostrich?  If not, you should wait before reading the description below.  You don't want to ruin the spirit of the challenge by letting the next round influence the one you are on.  Having said that, if you have not finished Round 3, no worries...take your time and enjoy the process.

Now, on to the fourth round...

Round 4 is “Hip To Be Square”   The term “square” was used to refer to someone as boring, predictable and straight-laced.  Challenge yourself to show the opposite when using this 4-sided beauty.  This can be achieved through many means, such as fabric choice, placement, etc.  How “hip” can you be in this round?

As a reminder, if you need to add a small border to separate your rounds from each other, that is okay.  Do keep in mind that with each round, this quilt will continue to grow quite a bit, which might concern those that don't use a long arm machine to quilt.  

Don't forget to share pics on my FB page of your results.  I have no doubt that they will inspire a lot of people!  It is never to late to get started or post your accomplishments.  And don't forget to add the hashtag listed below to make it easier for all of us to follow your creative genius. 

The next round will be posted May 26th.  We will have plenty of time to finish this round and even get caught up if we need to.

#KCDIOstrichChallenge

National Quilting Day

Tomorrow is National Quilting Day!  I know what I will be spending my day doing. What about you?  Any special projects?  Any quilty gatherings?  Any quilt related movies on the agenda?

At my home, I will be fortunate to spend some quilty time with my daughter.  I'm not sure what I will be working on, and I'll try to share pics if nothing is secret...like mystery quilt stuff. ;)

Who wants to join me in posting pics on the 15-Minute quilters group?  I was thinking of holding a contest for a free pattern?  And/or perhaps have a sale at my Etsy store?  What do you think?  Let me know so I can plan accordingly. 

Scrap Quilts... Fact or Fiction

Many months ago, I watched a video on YouTube.  It featured a prominent figure in the world of quilting talking about myths.  One myth in particular bothered me.  The person claimed that the process of making quilts from scraps in the late 1800s to early 1900s was just not true.  That the quilts were made from a great number of fabrics because, due to the low price, the quilter would have purchased a lot of fabric to begin with.  That the idea of a woman using whatever bits she had to make a quilt just wasn't a reality.   I hope I'm not being overly disrespectful in saying that I'm just not buying it. 

I have done some research on my own.  I have seen quilts from that time period, made with a large number of fabrics.  I have seen quilts from own family (pictured above) that are clearly "scrap" quilts.  Let's face it... no matter how inexpensive the fabric became at the time, there were still women that couldn't afford to spend any extra on it.  That's just life and most of us have been there at least one time or another.  You buy for your needs, not necessarily your wants.  And when we can buy several different fabrics to make up a "scrappy-looking" quilt, there is a impression of planning: picking fabrics that coordinate with each other, spreading certain fabrics strategically throughout to give balance, etc., etc.  That is NOT the case with most of the scrappy quilts I have seen from that time period.  They don't always have the "right" fabric in the "right" places.  These quilts are beautiful in their own right, but they do not speak of having a designer with the finances to lavish merely on a quilt top alone.  

So, I believe that scrap quilts have been around for a very long time and I think they will continue to be made hundreds of years from now.  At least I hope that is the plan.  I love the idea of taking pieces that seem inconsequential and making one-of-a-kind masterpieces with them.  Art that is filled with love and memories.  (The picture above has an adorable print of what looks to be like Gerber babies on it.  I was told I had a dress as a baby made from the same fabric.)  Art that comforts and soothes and warms the souls of others.  Art that makes the heart sing.

My Ostrich...

My ostrich challenge quilt is coming along, slowly and surely.  I have completed Step 2, which involved using exactly 2 sewing methods.  I couldn't have done it without my daughter's help.  She knew exactly how to braid the strips!

I'm excited about Step 3, after having mulled over a ton of ideas in my head, I think inspiration has finally struck.  I need to get the lead out though, because Step 4 is being released in 12 days.  But who's counting?

Oh!  And thanks to my very sweet hubby, I have a mascot now.  Meet Opal. :)

#KCDIOstrichChallenge

Woes of a Mystery Quilt

Do you know what the biggest woe of creating and hosting a mystery quilt is????  One might hazard guesses such as:

• Creating something that will visually appeal to the masses.
• Creating a pattern that is simple enough for beginners yet interesting enough for those more advanced.
• In this case, perhaps making sure the devotions are well written.
• Doing all of the math in designing the quilt.
• Editing, editing, and editing some more.
• Making the right graphics or taking the right pictures.

All of those would be wonderful guesses!  For me, however, none of those are what vexes me the most.  The true challenge has been in not being able to share each and every step of this journey with everyone!  Viewing my blog and FB page would lead one to believe that absolutely nothing is happening in my little quilty world.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  There has been quite a bit going on and I want to share all of it with you!  Sadly, I can't.  That would be like showing Christmas presents at the Thanksgiving table.

However, you can show me what you have done!  Have you purchased your fabrics?  What about a color palette?  Maybe if a couple of inspirations paint chips??????  Someone needs to do some show and tell here and it can't be me. :(

I can say just a bit about one thing though...  My daughter, Hailey, is doing some testing for the larger size.  She has picked colors that are so different from what we are using for our smaller versions.  She is using a very unexpected inspiration and yet, it is still stunning!!!!!  It made me so excited to see what she has done!

We have less than 2 months before the mystery starts!  I can't wait to share it with you.