Tuesday, November 1, 2016

October #BraveQuilter Wrap Up Linky Is OPEN!



Someone will have a merry Christmas quilt!

The season is shifting quickly here in Ohio, and it is easy to think we will soon be in winter. The quilt above is one of two destined to be under a Christmas tree. That is a telling sign. 




Quilting sustains me during the overcast days and early nights, and I am grateful for the color therapy of fabric when the landscape is bare. Quilting is my joy! Is it yours, too?

Mission of Outreach

Part of my intent when I started Pink Doxies was to spread the joy of quilting to everyone who had an interest, and #BraveQuilter has been a part of that. It is my belief that whenever we have to stop and consider where we stand with our craft or art, we create a mental plan to become more skilled. Yes, just thinking about quilting can help make us better at it!


Finishing a quilt that pushed me in every respect.

Many of you have participated here with the link up, and others have emailed me saying it was a good reminder to just have it roll around each month. It kept you thinking about pushing yourselves ahead, and that was all you needed. I am so glad to have met so many talented people, and have enjoyed the friendships that have come from it. Thank you.

One special friend I have had the chance to email quite frequently with is at A Quilting Reader's Garden. Angie was the lucky winner last month at #BraveQuilter, and I was late mailing her package until just last week. When I got to the post office, I was shocked that the shipping total was $11.51! Add to it the actual contents, and the cost of InLinkz going up recently to $2.99 a month. Each month's link up was easily totaling in the range of $25-$30. 

So, I emailed Angie, and asked if I could send an Amazon gift certificate instead, which I have done in the past to winners out of the US. She replied to please donate it to a local or favorite charity. How kind of her, and what a wonderful thing to start thinking about! 

Could I use the money for supplies to teach people who might not otherwise have the chance? I made some phone calls. YES! An opportunity is in development, and I am very excited. Until the details are figured out, I will have to keep it under my hat, but you will be the first to know. I guess you could say that #BraveQuilter is going on the road live for a while. I hope there is a whole new group of people who find quilting as beneficial as we all do here. I believe it will be a better use of time, energy, and financial resources. Thank you for your support and understanding with this move.

So this is the final link up, but the idea still continues: 

"Do something brave every month to stretch your skills, and become the best quilter/sewist/fiber artist you can be. I'm so proud of each one of you!"





Welcome to the October Wrap Up 
Linky for #BraveQuilter. 

It's time to link up those finished goals you've set for yourself. As a note, everyone who has a blog post or Instagram post may link up now explaining what you have done this month to increase your quilting or sewing skills. We want to see what new thing you have attempted in the name of Bravery. If you wrote a post earlier this month and linked it up here, then you are also eligible for the drawing for a fabric prize. The winner will be announced on the 4th of the month.

Wrap Up Linky runs November 1st-3rd, 2016.








10 comments:

Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm said...

Funny how things work out, how exciting to be able to go and now teach. I'll miss the link to others but I understand. Personally I never concerner the giveaways, I linked to share and to see what others are doing. You have been very generous and I thank you.

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

I missed the link up in September so can't really link up now but I better mastered binding corners . I will miss your link up Julie , but can quite understand why it's coming to an end

Angie in SoCal said...

And as a possible project for your "students" consider: http://thebarefootheart.com/week-37-in-review-1024-30-2016/ - the 70273 project - blocks can be made is all sorts of ways - history lesson and a giving lesson. As to the link up - you might consider the non image way with InLinkz - just like Amanda Jean has on her Friday Finish posts - it's free. Blessings,

Tu-Na Quilts said...

I enjoyed reading what others posted for their brave projects in the past and bravely did so once myself. I was going to do so again last month but it was a crazy busy month. I am sad you won't be continuing with it but I do understand the reasoning behind it. Wishing you well!

Sandra Walker said...

Well, I joined in for a blog hop called Autumn Abundance. I have always wanted to make another Shadow Quilt and the leaf one in the book just didn't do it for me. So I redesigned. Made a totally different (better, IMHO) leaf block, drafted the paper piecing for the top centre point, and then did all the math to make each of the smaller leaf blocks float on a huge 50" maple leaf! AND, I asked in the post if there would be interest in having QAL in 2017 but with a smaller quilt, and it appears that I am going to run that now! And release another pattern too, by request! Who knew saying 'yes' to a tentative plan for a hop would lead to all that?!

Sharon - IN said...

I don't have anything to show, but my friend told me I was brave to help her. She wanted to make some quilt blocks for a wall design for her sister. She just happened to select 5 quilt blocks that required templates and Y seams. She came over with her patterns and fabrics, and I showed her how to make templates, and how to sew those Y seams. She did great, and Y seams are no longer intimidating her!

Can't wait to see what you've got under that old hat of yours!

Sew of Course said...

Thanks for hosting the #bravequilter linkup, Julie, finally I have joined in this month and it has definitely spurred me on to do something that I had wanted to work at (or wanted to play at) for ages. I understand why you stop, and it is great the new direction this may take! Though I will miss the incentive it gives to be able to share plans publicly so that we are encouraged to do something new.

patty a. said...

Since I just found you recently I was unaware of the brave project. I was thinking about the flannel quilt I just finished. It was challenging to free motion quilt because the flannel backing was a heavier flannel and where the seams connected at the corners of the nine patches was thick! The quilting is not the greatest with these challenges, but I am just letting it go! That's brave for me!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

What a great idea! I feel your pain on the postage. I just paid $6 to send a 12-inch block to the USA. Have to re-think online bees and swaps.

Kate said...

Its been fun to watch all the new skills mastered. Though I didn't participate, it did get me thinking about things I want to master next.