This year the Richmond Quilt Guild participated at the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton VA. Our challenge was “Charmed”

Each participant could choose whatever charm they wanted to construct their quilt. To make it approachable, the minimum number of charms to be used was 250. We had rectangles, squares, trapezoids, diamonds, triangles, half hexes and yo-yo’s.

I was pleasantly surprised when there were 18 quilts from 17 participants to hang. That was 5 more quilts than last year!

My first quilt choice was too much of a challenge, so I went to plan B. I’ve been collecting neckties for decades, and it was time to use them. My goal was 2025. It felt right and it felt manageable. Then I started cutting. I had to cut twice. Once the ties were torn down, laundered, and taken apart, they needed stabilization. So, I was cutting the stabilizer to size, applying it to the ties, and then cutting the ties again. Once I got a big pile gathered, I started separating from light to dark. There are far more dark ties out there than light ones. I wanted the center of the quilt to be light. Once I got the center together, I decided I needed to approach the rest of the project a little differently. I was agonizing over every single decision. It was time to simplify. Every few hundred pieces I would start to construct 9 Patch blocks from mediums and then dark’s. Eventually, I ran short on ties. I got more from one of my dear friends. I also went to one of the local thrift stores. They had lots of ties at $3.00 each. Honestly, I couldn’t justify spending over $300 on ties. I took a chance and asked if they would sell them to me at a discount. And they did. I was and still am grateful.

At the beginning of the project, things progress quickly. But as the piece gets bigger it seems to slow. The rows get longer and it takes longer to get things together.

As it came together, I fell more in love with the project. The sparkle and the textures. Every year I try to finish one up cycled project, and this year I’m so happy with the outcome.

I love that it glows from the center out.

It’s only appropriate that I share some of the other delightful and inspiring pieces that were in the display.

I highly recommend showing your work if you have the opportunity. Participate in a group challenge at a national quilt show. You don’t have the pressure of having your work judged. All shows should have pieces where the work is inspiring and approachable.