The 365 Challenge

I have been playing around with the idea of journal quilts for some time now. Then all of a sudden it came to me: here we are in 2007 with pens and inks and dyes that write and draw onto fabric just as if it was paper. Why not treat the fabric just the same as if writing on paper!

So.....

365 small quilt blocks. Each with a journal entry. Stitched together to place one year of life onto fabric.

Above are my first three journal entries. And a close up:

So I have decided to begin The 365 Challenge! Watch closely, and if you want to be part of The 365 Challenge I will have a tutorial that you can click on for a pattern. You can start any day you choose.

Go on, record one year of your life. You can add bits of history, the weather details, what you ate for breakfast, where you went stitching, what books you are reading, your favorite magazines,etc, etc.....I will give you hints and tips for the next 365 days to help you!You can make it very personal or very factual - you can do anything because it is your journal!

My personal goal is to see enough of you wonderful ladies that read my blog make a quilt so we can have a '365 Challenge International Quilt Exhibition'. How wonderful to display to the world what we do as women and how we see the world! Your view counts! I have in my mind a vision of LOTS of people walking around OUR exhibition reading the intricate details of our lives......

Are you up for the challenge?

Leanne Beasley xxx

Comments

[cheap jewelry]

Thank you! The content is extremely rich.

[Rachel]

I know this is an older post, but hopefully you'll get my comment anyway. I just wanted to let you know I was very inspired by this idea and decided to give it a go. I started a flickr group for my journey as well: http://www.flickr.com/groups/365quilt/ I looked through all your posts on the quilt through mid-2008, but I didn't see a post about the finished product. I am curious to know if you ever finished this project!

Thanks for the great inspiration and I hope I can keep up with the project. :)

Cheers!
Rachel

[Leaetta]

Just found your blog on the 365 challenge ....what an inspirational idea! count me in the new is soon to start and so it my new quilt... Thanks

[TRACYLEE CORNISH]

Hi Leanne,
Just wanted to say I love your book living the dream, I honestly dont know how you find the time to fit in what you do.
Your patterns are so simple but beautiful. I have so far made your quilt journal which I love although having a hard time keeping up with it. Have also loved stitching your livng the dream quilt I only have about five more stitcheries to go to start sewing my quilt together.
Its an ongoing project but something I love doing. Its an era that I think was lost after our mothers generation and I intend on passing it onto my daughter too as she has the same love for sewing embroidery as I do. Isnt it wonderful!
All the Best
TracyLee Cornish

[Michelle]

This challenge has really grown on me. I bought (2) Y&C permawriter II Acid Free permanent markers and did a test trial on piece of muslin. Works great and I am so excited. Thanks for the idea. Think I'll start on the 1st day of school.

[KBG]

Such a good idea! And my birthday was yesterday so today would be a great day for me to start!

[Flibbertygibbet]

I'm really interested in this idea - just not sure if I'd manage to do every day. Could you give a little more information about the pens you used? I'm travelling to the US soon and I'm looking to stock up on my craft supplies!

[Kris Pieters-Anderson]

Hello Leanne,
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
Just what I needed. For some reason I found your blog and the 365 quilt. My hope is that WE can look back on all our quilts and say it was a great year!
My life just got fuller and richer thanks to YOU! You've blessed my days.
Kris

[Cheryl]

What a wonderful idea.Count me in please.I drove out to Honeysuckle Cottage at Quambone today to purchase the 365 Challenge material . Can't wait to get started.

[dawn]

Wow a great challenge AND what a wonderful treasure for our families.With each day passing so quickly what a wonderfull way to recall how blessed we have been on each day.I plan to take this and make one for each of my girls (3mths & 17mths) to record a year of there lives as a keepsake for them.Blessings to you Leanne for sharing your fantastic ideas

[Molly Fryer]

This will such a wonderful legacy quilt. I would love to have one that my grandmother had made. Just what she did on ONE day would be a treasure. Thanks for the insight and creativity. It's God given.

[Cathy60]

bonjour Leanne
Sur le forum patch to patch nous avons découvert ton challenge, nous sommes peut être quelques unes à être intéressées, seulement pour ma part je parle très peu l'anglais, ne serait-il pas possible de nous donner des informations en français pas tout mais les principales, je pense que vous aurez encore beaucoup de succès avec cette nouvelle idée, même en France, qu'en pensez-vous ?
merci
amitiés

[Amanda Albert]

Leanne this idea is brilliant!

[Conni Lu]

Count me in as a "yes". It is an exciting idea, making a perfectly individualized memory quilt. I can't wait to learn the details. Just found your blog and I'm so happy that I did! :D

[Lucy Locket]

Hi Leanne - I've just read the tutorial and found out where to get the zig millenium pen over in England. Important question - is the pen machine washable? In a house of three young children everything has to be washable!!! and I would hate to do all the work and end up with a faded cream quilt! I am now totally addicted to checking up your website to see what exciting new things you have posted! Keep up the good work!

[Lenora]

What a great idea, count me in. I live on a dairy farm and the drought is really making life difficult. A journal quilt will be a great way of recording this. Hopefully by this day next year, our cows are eating green grass and I am sitting watching them as I quilt my new quilt. I'll be writing my entries on paper until you have further details. Thanks Leanne.

[Chris]

Will certainly journal my life for a year although the thought does send both chills of anticipation and fear up my spine!!

Do they really want to hear about the school run and the milk run..!! But lets see how we go...

Had a brainwave for those asking about pens and daggy handwriting, try a scrapbook shop for the pens and if your handwriting really that bad then use your printer, fancy font and fabric paper....but that would kind of defeat the purpose. Almost like typing up your daughter's birthday card. You just wouldn't and you know she will love what you wrote no matter what scrawl it looks like. I know my daughter loves my scrawl.

[Cynthia]

sounds very interesting and tempting. I don't know if i've missed a post but i'd love more info about the challenge.

[Diana]

GREAT!!!you're fantastic!!i hope i have understood all the things and i want to be in this challenge,i will wait for your suggestions..have a nice sunday!!

[Jo]

Sounds fantastic! What a great idea... like scrapbooking journals for quilts! But, like many of the others I am interested - what pens? They sound super but also sound like I need to improve my handwriting....

[laurence]

I'm very enthusiastic about your idea and I should like join you !
Your blog is absolutely wonderful !

[Leanne P]

Wow..that sounds great - I can't wait to start. Just imagine 50 or 100 years from now, these quilts being unearthed and being on exhibition - imagine what people of the future would say about our lives. 'that was when they had email, of course now we send messages via mind transmitters' or 'back then people had to learn how to write by hand' or even 'imagine all those pieces being sewn together on one of those sewing machines - it must have taken hours!'

[corinna]

hmmmmmmmmmmmm I am lovin that idea Leanne. Better addy me to the list. :)

[julie]

great idea Leanne...would love to do the challenge...must brush up on the hand writting....Julie

[Kim]

Fabulous Leanne. Looking forward to your tutorial.