Pillow Challenge

If you look at our planned monthly sewing challenges, you'll notice that we change them.  Often.  We were supposed to do a rickrack challenge this month, but we're busy working on inventory for a craft show.  So...we decided to change our challenge to pillows.  We're both making some pillows for the show.  And who doesn't love a good pillow.

You can see that the pillows are both really cool, but really different.  We're the same.  Even though we're twins, we're different but very cool.  Both of us.  And so are the pillows.

Mitered Square Pillow

Christmas Pillow

These pillows will be for sale this Friday and Saturday, 11/1 -11/2 at the Chris Cringle Craft Show in Champaign, IL.  If you're in the area, stop by our booth and check out our merchandise.  You might need to pick up a pillow or two.  Or some other really cool item.

We're only a week away from election day.  Maybe you've already voted, and if you haven't, be sure to do so.  It's your right and privilege and duty.  Also, remember to vote for your favorite pillow.  They're both pretty cool, if you ask me.  And I only made one of them.

Remember, your vote is confidential.  We don't know who votes.  So, just vote!

The Forgotten Sewing Challenge

Earlier this summer, we decided to enter the Quiltcon Block Challenge.  The idea was to make a modern quilt block using fabric with colors from the Quiltcon logo.  We each selected the fabrics to use in our quilt blocks and set out to make them.  One of us used solids and the other used prints.  We never show each other our sewing challenge entries until we're ready to post them on the blog.  We don't even tell each other what we're making.  We have a terrible fear that one day we'll end up making the same thing.  Twins do think alike, you know.

There's good news and bad news about this sewing challenge.  One of us mailed in our quilt block and shock of all shocks, it was selected to be included on the back of the quilt.  The other one of us forgot to mail in our quilt block.  We had planned to use the quilt blocks and one of our monthly sewing challenges and have voting.  I think it was supposed to happen in July, but somehow it never happened.  One of us started a new job that month, and the other one moved her beloved son to NYC.  We were a little preoccupied.

Since we know what the outcome was of this challenge, we don't have to hide the anonymity of which twin made which block.

I (Jan) decided to use solids for my quilt block, and I sketched out 3 designs that I thought would be really cool with the colors.  I made the first block, but it didn't meet the size requirements for the challenge.  This was an official sewing challenge with official rules.  and official winners.  Making adjustments to my first block would ruin the look I was going for.  Let me just say this...I'm not an accomplished quilt block maker.  This was my first attempt at making a real quilt block.  The first block I made looked really cool, or so I thought, but it just wasn't going to work for the challenge.  So I started on my second block using one of my other patterns.  It turned out really cool.  Here's a picture of it to prove that I really did make it.

Jan's quilt block entry that is now sewn up in the back of the Quiltcon quilt. Check it out.

The forgotten quilt block is pretty cool.  When Joy first showed it to me, I was a little jealous.  I wished I had used prints instead of solids.  And I wished I had made a cooler looking block than what I had made.  But, I guess my choices paid off in the end.  Yay!

Joy's forgotten quilt block.  Isn't it cool?!

Since we aren't competing against each other, we'll go ahead and have a second poll this month.  We'll see whose quilt block would have made it into the quilt if our voters would have been choosing their favorite quilt block.  Go ahead and vote.  We don't know who votes, and we don't care if you know who made the quilt blocks.