How far do your quilts travel? Quilting and technology have converged to create an online sewing community that allows us to find inspiration, share our process, and get instant feedback on our ideas. Recently, I realized that my finished quilts were stacked in a closet while my photos and blog posts continued to reach people. It made me question whether the finished object or the digital image was more important.
We take photos of quilts as they are pieced together, on our laps while we stitch, or with our children and pets snuggled up on them. We share the image and it becomes a digital object, a separate work of art created during the process.
Sarah Phillips of Intown Quilters and I are hosting an activity in the Makers Tent at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend so we decided to expand on the idea of image sharing to create a collaborative digital project where everyone will create their own quilt block, photograph it, and share the image through social media. Then we’ll compile the images into a digital “quilt” that we’ll share online.
How can you participate?
Begin with two 10” fabric squares and create a half-square triangle block. One fabric square should be a neutral white or linen while the other piece may be patchwork, hand-dyed, embroidered, or made with any other creative technique you’d like to use. Or you can simply choose your favorite fabric. Then take a photo of your half-square triangle block and share it on social media with the hashtag #instaquilt. We’ll then assemble the photos and share the collaborative digital quilt both here and through social media.
Add your block to flickr here, pin it to Pinterest, share on Instagram, post to Facebook, or share it any way you choose.
And for those who are willing to contribute their finished block, we’ll sew them together and make a quilt to be displayed at Intown Quilters. You can drop your block by the shop or even mail it. Please note that we may cut down the blocks if necessary to make the quilt a manageable size. We’d like to get all of the entries by the end of September, so make a block today!
If you live near Atlanta, come sew with me and Sarah Phillips from Intown Quilters at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend! We’ll be in the Makers Tent on Sunday at 3pm. We’ll have fabric, sewing machines and other supplies so that you can make an #instaquilt block with us. But don’t worry if you can’t make it; anyone can participate in the project!
For instructions to make half-square triangles, click on the image below for a .pdf excerpt from my book 1, 2, 3 Quilt.
I made a couple of samples using my new Framework fabric and solids below. Of course if you use the technique above, you’ll have two blocks so you can start a quilt. And if you’re just photographing it for the project, the block could really be any size. Let’s make an #instaquilt!
