TQS Mini groups

[Karen M.]

Never doing this before so this is making me go out on a limb (sure hope it is a strong one :lol: ) I think a 8X10 is a good size, that way it won't take folks (meaning me) forever to get it done. Any design you want with what ever embellishments sounds perfect to me. Let's use this to help folks, again meaning me, to get creative. Timeframe - that's a good question. Is saying have the project done by the end of September too short of a period if we start now? Basically looking at having 2 months to do this. Need help here. Posting pictures on Show & Tell sounds like a good place. Anyone - any other ideas, suggestions?

So far the ideas are: Size - 8X10 quilt; Theme - vacation; Embellishments - any you want; Time Frame - ???? end of September? Posting of finished project - Show & Tell

So KakeM and others what do you think? These are all just suggestions and nothing is set in stone so come on give us yours.

I agree Bobbi....(See my earlier post) I think the end of Sept is a good time frame for us to get started also. Any comments on the chat room idea? Do we add our thoughts and process in addition to showing the piece? A journal of sorts? Or not? Any other thoughts out there on this subject?
Karen

[Karen M.]

Ooo, liking the sound of this girls!

The 2 month slot would be good, as it's only the beginning of August. Thoughts and reasons why could be in the description, journaling frightens the life out of me!! :roll:

[Karen M.]

Please explain what a journal quilt is and where the journaling would be done. What I think you are saying is a small quilt and we journal how were got thru the process.

[Karen M.]

I'm so glad to see this starting! Sorry my last couple of days have been pretty hectic.

I think once a month is great and September would probably be a good time. So it sounds like people are doing good. If any of you have access to The Art Quilt Workbook by jane Davila and Elin Waterston (which was mentioned in a show...I don't remember which one...someone help!) there are a ton of neat exercises for working on Journal Quilts. Also if you want to take a good look at a gorgeous book just full of these Journal quilts check out Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project by Karey Patterson Bresenhan. And here is some examples of journal quilts.

Edit: Were you thinking we should all use the same theme or pick our own?

[Hannelore N.]

Grinning...... Mine is on page 7 of that link.

Lorchen (aka Hannelore Nunn)

[Karen M.]

Lorchen-since you have already participated in a journal quilt why don't you explain to all of us just what it is and how to actually journal the quilt...what was your process?
I like what you did...wish I could read what you wrote...

[Karen M.]

I'm so glad to see this starting! Sorry my last couple of days have been pretty hectic.

I think once a month is great and September would probably be a good time. So it sounds like people are doing good. If any of you have access to The Art Quilt Workbook by jane Davila and Elin Waterston (which was mentioned in a show...I don't remember which one...someone help!) there are a ton of neat exercises for working on Journal Quilts. Also if you want to take a good look at a gorgeous book just full of these Journal quilts check out Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project by Karey Patterson Bresenhan. And here is some examples of journal quilts.

Edit: Were you thinking we should all use the same theme or pick our own?

Theresa...just checked out this site and all the information is there and was very interesting. I don't think it would be difficult to do the journaling...after all none of us seem to have a problem talking about what we are working on....right? The notes could be as short or chatty as we feel is necessary to convey our thoughts while making the mini quilt. I like it, how about some of you others?
Karen

[Karen M.]

OK, can you confirm that I read what they do on that site correctly.

1) Pick a theme yourself. Any theme will do. (pet, colour, place, style etc)

2) Make a quilt 8.5 x 11 (A4ish) in line with that theme each month over a period of time (3 or 6 months?)

3) Make notes of your train of thoughts that lead you along the quilts.

4) Sit back and enjoy.

If this is a goer, do you think we should have a new topic thread to keep it a tidy group?

[Karen M.]

OK, can you confirm that I read what they do on that site correctly.

1) Pick a theme yourself. Any theme will do. (pet, colour, place, style etc)

2) Make a quilt 8.5 x 11 (A4ish) in line with that theme each month over a period of time (3 or 6 months?)

3) Make notes of your train of thoughts that lead you along the quilts.

4) Sit back and enjoy.

If this is a goer, do you think we should have a new topic thread to keep it a tidy group?

I think you have nailed the information correctly...thats how I read it. And I think the idea of a new topic thread just about journal quilts is a good one.....any one have more that they would like to add to this list?
Comments on beginning a new topic thread?

[Hannelore N.]

Spot on, Amo!!

Just like a written journal, a journal quilt is whatever you want it to be - as long as you enjoy the the process and (Dare I say it?) have fun (I meet too many artists who don't have fun - very sad).

There should be some kind of link between your journal quilts over the given period of time. I once did several small pieces that were all linked by the use of one particular fabric. And somewhere I have some half-finished pieces that are all about the theme of 'Time' (Note to self: Find and finish them!). I have also thought that it would be a good idea to go to a local park or forest once a month, take pictures of the same places, and use them as inspiration for journal quilts. The possibilities are endless.

I did not participate in the earlier years of journal quilting because I just couldn't get my act together every month (May have had something to do with being a single mum and working fulltime). But in it's last official year participants only had to submit one quilt, and it had to be double the usual size. I managed that before the deadline. At the time there was a lot discussion going on about 'Traditional Quilters' and 'Real Artists'. I have never understood (and never will) that some people seem to think you can only be in one camp or the other. It's so easy to have a finger in every pie. And it's so much more fun not to be restricted to one particular type of work and/or attitude. So, I combined 'art' and traditional' in my journal quilt, and I did it a little tongue-in-cheek. I had a whole stack of fabric pieces that I had marbled myself (taught by a suberb German artist, Ursula Schmidt Troschke of Chaosprint). I turned some of these fabrics into very traditional little 9-Patch blocks and construced a whole, solid 'wall' of them. I then took one more little 9-Patch, added beads, paint, metallics, distorted the shape a little, gave it wings, and..... hey presto ..... a traditional 9-Patch 'escaping' to become a piece of art.

I apologize about the length of the message, but you asked......

Lorchen

[Hannelore N.]

Thanks Lorchen--I was interested.

[Karen M.]

Thank you Lorchen, you explained it so well. I actually put aside some other things tonight and played around with some fabric in the journal fashion.....I had a great time. I will work on it again tomorrow and see where it take me.

[Karen M.]

That's good then.

OK, how about quarterly. Oct, Nov, Dec/ Jan, Feb, Mar/ April, May, June/ July, Aug, Sept. (We can include September in the first quarter this year so it sets us straight and while we get the hang of it all!!)

Each quarter we open a new thread where people join in, add comments on what they have in mind/are doing/will do.

I thought the quarters would be good because three months is not a huge amount of time to totally commit to, anyone can jump on board for the next quarter and we should have some nice triptychs to show at the end of it!!

[Karen M.]

I know that one purpose behind doing the small quilts is to do something quick that doesn't take a ton of time. Do you think they'll get lost in everything else in our lives if they are three months apart? Or are people worried about how many other things they currently have committed?

[Karen M.]

Not three months apart Teresa, in three month stints. It's still one a month but you follow the theme for three months before moving on to another theme or going off at an angle.

I just thought, like you in a away, that life is very busy to commit to doing 6 or 12 and just 3 at a time would give us a chance actually complete a set. You could choose to carry on and do another 3 over the next three months under the same umberella if you were that hooked at the time. In fact you could stay with the same theme indefinately.

It also gives others a chance to join in as and when without feeling like they're butting in or behind schedule.