Day One of Blogging Challenge

     As I don't quite have my Art Quilters Around the World Challenge ready to post...and post I must! ...I am going to back up a little to tell you about my studioQ group of gal pals! We started meeting about eight years ago because of a common interest in art quilts over traditional quilting. We meet once a month or more to "play" together (dyeing fabrics, batiking, printing, etc.); sharing our latest endeavors; helping each other with solicited advise and encouragement; sharing in the success of each on all levels!

       Our name came about after a year or so of meeting. I wanted us to be the Creative Crones...crones meaning wise women, not old hags! But we are a wide range of ages so a few of us didn't care for the "crone" connotation! Plus some of us have professional aspirations beyond just "having fun" and felt that Creative Crone was a bit too "cute"! So coming to an agreement with these ideas, we settled on studioQ....the "Q" actually not standing for anything specific and using a lower case "s" in studio just to be artsy!!!

      I was starting my blog around this time so, being  the oldest member of the group and really buying into the Crone Idea, I titled my blog "ccsq".... Creative Crone of studio Q! Thus incorporating both names which I like!

      One activity we began early on was to come up with ways to challenge ourselves. So during this month of blogging, I hope to entertain you with some of these....the process behind the making and final art work! Our very first challenge was a small wall hanging which all of us created together. One person started with one block, passing it and any left over fabrics used to the next person. Then  adding design and more fabric, the art was passed around to all until the final quilting and embellishing was complete! We hung it in our guild show that year in the group category! Now, this was eight years ago when "Art Quilts" we're not even heard  of! Our little beauty looked pretty lost and out of place with all those queen and king- sized traditional quilts! Needless to say we did not win! But it was a ground breaker because within a year or two, Art Quilts became a category in our show and all shows internationally!

First studioQ challenge- approximately 24" x 24"