Featured Blog

Today's Featured Blog is the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge Blog that I have mentioned so often. Although the posts come in bunches after the new challenges have been set near the end of each month, there are often people catching up throughout the following month.

The idea for the challenges came from the popular American programme Project Runway, where designers have a limited time to create a garment with unusual materials. It was thought that having a quick turn around time might help us with getting started and motivated, while also getting some hands on learning about design. So, the group was started about 3 years ago.

The finished items are posted on the blog, where members can post critiques. At first, some were not at the stage where they felt comfortable with having the work critiqued, so they can post the work on the Yahoo group site (through which we receive the messages with the current challenge posted and talk about what we are doing.)

Here is the blurb from the Yahoo group site.

"This group of fiber artists and art quilters will be issued one challenge
per month, with one week to complete a small work. Challenges will attempt to
stretch members in their skills and creativity, encourage thinking outside the
box, will teach new techniques and concepts. Challenges will be hosted by a
different member each month and will incorporate color and design concepts,
techniques, surface design, embellishments, work within themes, and any other
art quilt concepts a member can imagine. By doing, we will learn. By doing, we
will grow. By doing, we cannot fail. All group members are required to have a
sense of adventure and fun!!!"

If you go over there this weekend, you can see what some of the other artists have done in relation to the challenge set this time. This year, each has their own theme they are trying to follow, as well. Sometimes it fits easier with some themes than others.

I think now most everyone posts the work to the blog. All of us are gaining confidence with our pieces. You can really see the improvement. We should do a comparison with some of the original work to what we are doing now.

Some of the artists have had work done for a challenge accepted into prestigious shows later on. Recently one of the artists had work in a local Gallery Show. She went along to get photos only to discover 4 pieces had sold! One of mine was recently chosen by the college to be made into artist postcards to be sold at college events!

Here are a couple photos of some of the pieces I made for challenges in the first year.