Last month, we introduced you to the Crazy Quilters Mini Group and our newest adventure, Thinking Outside the Block. After years of exchanging quilt blocks, we decided it was time to challenge ourselves in a whole new way.
The idea is simple: Each month, we draw a new element that must be incorporated into our individual quilt projects. We have to figure out how to make it work with what we’ve already created — no waiting until the end to put everything together!
Our first challenge was Circle, and we had everything from traffic lights and embroidery hoops to globes, baseballs, and even octopus suction cups.
This month? FLYING GEESE!
Now, if you’re a quilter, your first thought might be the traditional Flying Geese block. But if you’ve been following our Crazy Quilters, you already know that traditional isn’t necessarily the direction we’re headed!
And once again, these creative ladies didn’t disappoint!
Look What’s Flying Into Our Quilts!
Lisa Marsden continues working on her quilt featuring more than 100 fabric license plates collected from quilt shops across the country. This month, she created yellow and gray Flying Geese that she plans to incorporate into the sashing somewhere in her quilt. She’s also considering adding a road to her design and is exploring how the geese might fit into that idea. It’s going to be fun watching all those license plates find their way into one quilt!
Penny Edinger is creating a collage quilt based on a Christmas scene. Last month, she made the wheels for a Christmas truck to satisfy the Circle challenge. This month, Flying Geese are appearing in both her sashing border and the roof of a building! Her Christmas scene is really starting to take shape, and she’s making wonderful progress.
Barb Tucker continues to fill the shelves of her bookcase quilt with all kinds of interesting artwork and objects. For Flying Geese, she really embraced the possibilities! Her new elements include a mountain, a roof, AND actual geese flying across the sky in a picture. She’s incorporating several new techniques she’s learned recently, and it’s fascinating to watch her bring them all together in one project.
Wendy Richards was out of town when we started our challenge, but she certainly hasn’t let that slow her down! She’s caught up quickly, creating some wonderfully “wonky” interpretations of both Circle and Flying Geese. Who says everything has to be perfectly straight and symmetrical? Sometimes a little wonky makes things even more interesting!
Tammy Edwards is taking us to Disney World with her quilt! Her first element was Circle, which she interpreted as EPCOT’s iconic Spaceship Earth. For Flying Geese, she’s created blocks that represent something anyone who has visited Disney will recognize — all those lines of people going in every direction! What a clever interpretation of a traditional quilting element!
And we’re excited to welcome Marla Mohan, who joined our group this month and jumped right into the challenge! Marla is creating a brightly colored toddler quilt and has already incorporated circles and triangles that complement her design. We love having another creative mind joining the fun!
Same Challenge. Different Directions!
That’s what makes this challenge so much fun.
We all started with the same two words — Flying Geese — but look where they took us! Traditional blocks, rooftops, mountains, actual geese, Disney crowds, and all sorts of creative possibilities.
No two quilts look alike. No two interpretations are quite the same. And everyone is learning something along the way.
These are just a few highlights from our group this month. With nine Crazy Quilters working on their own unique projects, there are plenty more creative ideas taking shape. We’ll continue sharing different projects as our challenge unfolds!
But perhaps the best part of this challenge isn’t what we’re creating. It’s what we’re getting out of the experience.
Sometimes the Best Quilting Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone
Our Crazy Quilters group has been together for many years, and we’ve watched each other grow as quilters and as friends. We’ve shared techniques, offered suggestions, encouraged one another through challenging projects, and celebrated each other’s accomplishments.
Recently, Barb Tucker shared something about this new challenge that really captured what we hoped to accomplish when we started:
“It’s totally unlike anything I’ve done before. Laura Heine class had me step way out of comfort zone. Grief brain has made following a pattern hard, which is why I struggled with last challenge. But this challenge just lets me play with very loose rules and the only expectation is to have fun!! Sincere thanks to everyone who brainstormed this challenge!!” — Barb Tucker
I think Barb summed it up beautifully.
Sometimes we get so caught up in following the pattern, matching the points, getting everything just right, or finishing the project that we forget one of the reasons we started quilting in the first place.
Because it’s FUN!
This challenge gives us permission to experiment, try something unfamiliar, make adjustments as we go, and occasionally create something we never would have imagined at the beginning.
And we get to do it surrounded by friends who cheer us on.
If you’re a Bits ‘n’ Pieces member who hasn’t joined a mini group, I really encourage you to consider it. You don’t have to be an expert quilter. You don’t have to know all the techniques. You just need a few friends, a common interest, and a willingness to try something new.
You never know how much you might learn — about quilting, about creativity, and about yourself.
What’s Next? Letters and Numbers!
We’ve already drawn our next challenge element, and this one should be interesting!
LETTERS / NUMBERS!
Will we see initials, dates, words, addresses, book titles, or something completely unexpected?
How will we incorporate letters or numbers into quilts that are already taking shape?
We have a whole month to figure it out, and knowing this group, I’m sure we’ll see some surprises!
Come back next month to see how the Crazy Quilters put their own spin on Letters and Numbers.
Because with Crazy Quilters, you never know what we’ll come up with next!
Happy Quilting!