Mini Challenges

Every year the members of VSG have the option to participate in the guild annual challenge. With things being as they are right now, the board decided to change things up a bit and try something a little different.

Instead of a 1 year long challenge, we are going to try a series of MINI challenges which will last for 2 months and we are hoping this will inspire you to try something different. As always these challenges will be optional but we hope you will give it a try.

We will introduce a new challenge at our general meeting, then send out an email with the details. At the next meeting we will share our progress and then at the following meeting share our finished piece - hence a 2 month challenge.

December 2023 - Mini Challenge #2

• "Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle" - In honor of our July speaker.

July 2023 - Mini Challenge #1

• Scrappy Applique - A challenge to us all to create with our fiber scraps. Leverage our April speaker’s method, (Kristie Naranjo), to combine and create an inspired item. Final designs in August.

April 2023 - Mini Challenge #5

• “Inspired by Summer”. Color, texture, feeling....

• Let the season inspire you to create!  Progress photos in April, Final sharing in May.

March 2023 - Mini Challenge #4

• We are to be inspired by the coming season of Spring.

• The seeds are now planted...progress pictures in February with the March winds bringing the results to date!

December 2022 - Mini Challenge #3

       Let the season inspire you to create

• Have fun! No Rules!
• Progress photos shown at the November General Meeting
• Final photos are due for the December General Meeting

 October 2022 - Mini Challenge #2

          "Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose"

• Again no rules ... but if you are looking for inspiration here are some thoughts:

• Create something from a Little Shop/thrift store purchase

• Refashion something made or bought into something new - e.g. napkins from a stained table cloth

• Cut up a quilt block you dislikes and imagine it into a new form

Time for the October photo submission.

June 2022 - Mini challenge #1

Our challenge is to work on or finish a UFO (unfinished Object) or WIP (Work in Progress) from our stash. 

• Find your project this month with progress shots in July and finish in August. 

• Pick anything you like, no rules, just fun.

May 2022 - Mini Challenge #5

“Inspired by Springtime” Think:

• April Showers Bring May Flowers

• April in Paris

• April Fool’s Day

• As always, no rules. Let your creative juices flood.

March 2022 - Mini Challenge #4

Baubles, Bangles and Beads

Our challenge is Inspired by the

Antônio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra song

“Baubles, bangles

Hear how they jing, jinga-linga

Baubles, bangles, bright shiny beads

Here are a few ideas: 

• Add beads or metallic thread to your knitting or crochet

• Add beaded embroidery to a blouse

• Repurpose some old jewelry onto an art quilt

• Embellish your applique with beads

December 2021 - Mini Challenge #3

Create something where circles inspire you!

• Think polka dots, yoyo’s, applique, etc.

• Submit photos for the December Meeting

October 2021 - Mini Challenge #2

Our second Mini Challenge of 2021-22

Let’s get ready for the holidays and make something to liven up our tables. 

• Think placemats, napkins, table runners, centerpieces, name cards, napkin rings, etc. Or something to wear to serve at the table.

• You could be getting a jump on next 4th of July. As always, no rules, just fun Progress photos will be shown at the September meeting. Challenge ends at the October meeting.

September 2021 - Our first Mini Challenge #1 

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”

• It’s June and our thoughts turn to love. Your challenge is to create something inspired by weddings: think something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.... or anything else that brings weddings to mind.

June 2021 - Mini Challenge #4 

Our final Mini-Challenge of the year announced at the April general meeting is “Inspired from the Garden”. Again, there are really no rules and it’s open for your own creative interpretation. 

• Make a flower quilt block, sew a garment with floral fabric, try your hand at a crochet flower, or really anything you’d like. 

The big “reveal” show and tell will be in June. Again, just have fun!

April 2021 - Mini Challenge #3

Welcome to our third VSG Mini-Challenge, where we will spark our creativity with an Art, Music, Lyrics, Literature, or Movie Inspired Creation. Here are some ideas to ignite your spark:

• Are you a fan of Gone with the Wind? Do you remember the green curtains that Scarlett used to make her dress? Will you make a green dress? Will you repurpose your curtains into a quilt?

• Are you a lover of Pride and Prejudice? Could you be inspired to knit a pair of lace gloves or a shawl in the Elizabethan Style?

• Do Monet’s Waterlilies, with the lake, the flowers, the color blue, inspire you to create?

• How about the lyrics of “Thanks for the Memories” or “Cathy’s Clown”?

• Does Beethoven’s Pastoral inspire visions of the countryside?

• The possibilities are endless! As with all other mini challenges, there are no rules!

• This mini challenge will run through March. We’d love to have your in-progress photos for the February and March meeting and your final creations will be showcased at our April General Meeting.

Dec 2020 - Mini Challenge #2 

And now for something completely different.....

• Have you purchased a book or found an article on a new technique, but you haven’t tried it yet? Have you been trolling on Pinterest and saved a pin for something you’d like to try but haven’t yet? Did you see something at Show and Tell and think “I’d like to try that!” Well, now’s the time!

• Our next mini challenge is designed to give you that little push to try that new technique; to be a beginner; to leave your comfort zone and push yourself creatively. Just like before, the rule is “there are no rules!”

• Use this mini challenge to allow yourself the freedom to play, to experiment, to grow! This mini challenge will run for the months of October and November, with progress photos displayed at the November meeting and our “final” work in December. Do you need to “finish” something to complete the challenge? No! This is about trying something new, expanding ourselves, and sometimes we find no need to take it any further. 

• Tell us what you learned; what were the “gotchas”, the things you didn’t anticipate.

Oct 2020 - Mini Challenge  #1

Challenge Duration: August and September

Rules: There are none. Follow your creativity!

Any size you like, any medium you like.

What is a Zentangle?

From Zentangle.com: “The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create

beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. We call these patterns, tangles. ... These patterns are drawn on

small pieces of paper called "tiles." We call them tiles because you can assemble them into mosaics.”

While in its original form, Zentangles were created with pen and paper, but fiber artists have subsequently used

this method as an inspiration to create new and exciting variations using the following techniques: Decorative

Machine Stitches, Free Motion Quilting, Fabric Pens, Beads, Ribbon Embroidery, Hand Surface Embroidery,

Buttons, Silk Ties, Printed Fabric, Machine Embroidery.