Curated Quilt Mini Challenges

As mentioned in my last post, I decided to take some risks with my creativity.  I've entered a few challenges to put myself and my work "out there".  I've been sharing more online and in person when I can attend a guild meeting.  I participated in the #IGquiltfest on Instagram which is definitely a put yourself out there (feel vulnerable 😨) sort of exercise!

I had some success with one of the Curated Quilt mini quilt challenges. For each print edition, Curated Quilts puts out a call for minis from their readers.   The theme of the challenge was minimalism and Curated Quilts provides a color palette. It was the first challenge I've entered and was happy to have my mini chosen for the gallery in the magazine and great timing also meant that my mini hung at the QuiltCon booth in Pasadena.  Woot! 

Curated Quilts provides a theme and color palette for each challenge.

The challenge process, although my mini was teeny-tiny (finishing 10"x10"), was a great creative exercise.  A challenge!  I had some ideas going in and the finished work was nothing like my initial idea.  The work changed as I went - pure play -  with fabric, color, shape. As my ideas grew and became decidedly not minimal, I edited.  When the design began feeling too "fussy", I knew I had to pull back.  As a result, thh final work is quite minimal.  A simple but impactful shape, minimal quilting lines and a quiet binding.  

My friend Abby sent me a pic from QuiltCon!

The finished design was sort of accidental, or maybe better-stated -- experimental.  I wanted to play with a grid idea and picked up a couple of cutting scraps, arranged then, and voila, the idea solidified.  A simple raw-edged grid with shot cottons.  Texture + Color + Simplicity. 

The finished mini.  

I've entered a couple of the other Curated Quilt challenges since and my work wasn't chosen. It was okay work, but I think I was working toward a deadline rather than just being creative and stretching.

For the Triangles challenge, I pieced linen triangles and then did some fun variegated walking-foot quilting.  

For the Connections challenge, I revisited the shot cotton grid from my first challenge!  I liked the random weaving of this pieces and the raw pinked edges. I want to do this on a larger scale.