Amazed and Awed

I've spent some time the past couple of nights looking at the work done by some of the others who are participating in Take a Stitch Tuesday, and all I can say is WOW.

There's some amazing work out there. Just seeing what people have done is inspiring. They're showing off what can be done when you open your mind to creativity.

I'm in awe. It makes me want to study what they've done and learn from them. What a unique opportunity to experience how others have taken a stitch you are learning to a whole different level, and learn from what you do as well as from what they do.

I'm sooo glad I decided to participate in this!

CQJP?

Photo courtesy of peregrine blue

I spent the early morning wandering aimlessly around on the internet again, and stumbled across several sites talking about something called CQJP. CQJP? What's that? Out of curiosity, I looked it up. The Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 (CQJP) is a project to foster creativity in those participating, by making one crazy quilt patch per month that's a minimum of 36 sq inches in size (6" x 6", 4" x 9", etc.) There are some other rules, but that's the important one

When I read that it's not a competition, the only person you're competing against is yourself, that sounded appealing. That's about my speed, and I certainly couldn't compete against anyone but myself since I've never done one before - the photo is one I found on the internet. But I've always wanted to. They just look so beautiful when done well, with interesting bits of fabric put together with other interesting bits of things. And I've got a whoooooole stash of interesting bits of fabric and interesting bits of things. Hmmmm. Sounds even more appealing.

TAST 2012

I've set a goal to focus creative energies for awhile, so I started poking around on the internet to see what was appealing, and came across something called Take a Stitch Tuesday 2012 (TAST). It's a sewing self-challenge to learn new embroidery stitches and use them creatively.

My mother taught me to sew when I was a young girl, starting with embroidery. Here's an opportunity to learn a new stitch every Tuesday, and exercise some creativity with it. And it reminds me of my mother, rest her soul. So TAST sounds appealing: a good fit - surely I could handle one stitch per week - an organized goal for the coming year. I already feel more focused.

If you're also looking for something interesting to do in needlework this coming year, you might check it out. It's open to everyone, and it's not a competition, except with yourself. Does that sound appealing to you?