That's what quitting my job did for me. It made me see it differently. And for that I am grateful!!
That being said, the last month or two has been BUSY!! I finished up my Rise Above patterns, which are available HERE. And you HAVE to check out the #fbpRiseAbove and #RiseAboveQAL tags on Instagram to see the beautiful blocks that everyone is making!!
AND... last minute I decided to host a Rise Above Quilt Along to go along with the patterns! It started on Monday, so at the close of the first week, I am loving it so far!
A few weeks before I decided to host the quilt along, I was thinking about what I love most about quilting. At the top of the list was the people! I love the socializing and meeting so many different people who have similar interests and love fabric and quilting! :)
This is something I've really been missing lately. I loved(d) Flickr, and of course that changed a long time ago. Then I loved Instagram, but especially lately, I feel like the social involvement has declined significantly. It probably doesn't help that I haven't been posting as much, but that's just it - unless I stay hyper active, then I don't get the involvement that I used to before they changed it. Facebook is, well, it's Facebook. I love my newsletter - it's the one place where I can share with everyone who is actually interested and wants to see what's going on, but it's mostly one sided. There just doesn't seem to be a happy social platform anywhere...
Then I thought about how much I loved hosting my Celestial Star Quilt Along in 2014, and how fun it was to "hang out" with everyone who was joining in! But I also thought about how busy I was behind the scenes, and how I didn't actually get to hang out with anyone, though it was still a blast! I decided that I wanted to do that again, with all the perks and without the busy work.
Introducing the Rise Above QAL!
This is a laid back, go at your own pace, meet new people, make beautiful things, and have fun quilt along!! And there are a few giveaways! ;)
Read more about it HERE.
Do you want to get the patterns?!! Here are some coupons you can use!
Coupons expire Friday 7/28/17 - just one week left!
A little about the Quilt Along:
Rather than making lots of tutorials and instruction posts, I am focusing on the social aspect of quilting. I do have tutorials on my blog and YouTube, as well as all the many other tutorials all over the interweb, and while I'm more than happy to share my tips and help you along, I'll assume that unless you say something, that you've got this! ;)
To keep it simple, updates will be found on this page, but all events and social gatherings will take place on Instagram using #RiseAboveQAL, or in my Facebook group!
What I do have planned are:
1. Weekly progress and meet and greet prompts!
I'll post a picture with a photo prompt and question, and then you can post your photo and answer the question! A fun way to get to know each other and share what you're doing!
Here is this weeks prompt:
I am indecisive and picked these 6 balloons as my favorite! ;) You can read my facts on Instagram and/or Facebook.
2. Thursday night Virtual Quilt Nights!
We had our first one last night, and I might have had the most fun, I thought it was a blast!
The point is to share what you're working on, and your progress through the night, and then following the hashtag (#RiseAboveQAL) or in the Facebook group, chat/comment on each others posts! It's a fun and simple way to meet new people, share what you're doing, and have fun!
Since we can't all get together in real life, this is a fun way to include conversation while we work in our own places across the world! (Which for me means that I hardly get anything done, because I'd always love to chat over quilt. ;) But it's worth it! I love it!!)
I will be doing this every Thursday night from 8-10 pm CST.
Come join in the fun!!!
Even if you aren't working on your Rise Above blocks, it's a fun little event! I loved getting to know new people! :) And of course, if you are in a different time zone, you can adjust your hours accordingly, although that's when I'll start it, and you can keep hanging out with others even after I go to bed. :)
The quilt along goes until October 2nd, which is nice and long to allow for time during the busy back-to-school and last minute summer holidays and everything else!
I hope you'll come join me!!
And until then,
Happy Quilting & Happy Creating!
