Well, apparently it's been so long since I've blogged that my hosting site has changed its interface yet again. Yes, I did get notices about it over the past month or two, but it was in one ear and out the other sadly. So here I am giving this a spin!
And what better way to kick things off than promoting a fun, do.Good sort of event! This week Rachel Hauser of Stitched in Color has launched the annual Celebrate do.Good Stitches event on her blog. It is her way of recognizing the incredible work done by 240+ stitchers and quilters, all of which ultimately gets donated to various charitable causes. Though organizing this large a group and the efforts it supports is no small feat, therefore Rachel herself deserves an enormous debt of gratitude.
I've been participating in this bee for just about 3 1/2 years I believe. In fact, this year when I decided to take a break from the online bees, swaps and other group commitments I've been enjoying over the last several years this bee is the one I chose to continue with. Because it's different. One really does feel as though we are doing good. That said, the time constraints that I had expected to be an issue during the year did come into play as I had feared. As the host for the Bliss Circle of the group it is my responsibility to facilitate group discussions, keep a schedule of quilters up to date, stay on top of blocks being sent within the circle and other various little administrative duties in addition to being one of the circle's 4-5 quilters. Admittedly I fell behind a bit during the year, both on my administrative duties and the quilting. I currently have at least 3 finished quilt tops (and most of the blocks collected for another quilt) that need to be quilted and sent off to our selected charity - Wrap Them in Love. In fact, I only finished ONE quilt so far this year for the group. Poor showing, if I do say so myself. But it's one I am quite happy about!
Oh, and might I just point out that that backing is the epitome of using what you have! The batik that makes up the majority of the backing is one that I've had in my stash for upwards of 7 years, picked up for a project way back when. I cannot even remember whether I ended up using it for the intended project or what quilt that even was. All of these factors together means it is time to use it or lose it! And since I can't seem to purge very well (or at all!) use it I did!
Now it's time to go visit that link above for the Celebrate do.Good Stitches post on Rachel's blog and vote for your favorite quilt from the pool. Each of the 24 circles selected a single quilt finished during 2014 to represent their circle and the voting is open to the public now through Monday Dec. 15. She has also posted a couple of more entries related to the celebration, including individual recipients of gift prizes and an open pool for all of the group's quilters to submit their finished projects from the year. Take a look and share your thoughts! But most of all just take a few moments to enjoy the hard work done by all of these Stitchers and Quilters and Celebrate the year!