Tag: 70273 recap (Page 5 of 7)

Highlights of week 23 of The 70273 Project include:

~ Storms. Lots of storms. Three days’ worth of storms that uprooted trees and flickered our electricity. And what does this have to do with The 70273 Project, you ask? Just wanted to explain in case you think, from my absence in social media, that I’ve packed up and left without leaving a forwarding address.

In Our Own Language 1:1

In Our Own Language 2

Apocrypha 1

L to R: In Our Own Language 16 and
In Our Own Language 3

Smaller pieces from the Apocrypha Series

L to R: In Our Own Language 1, Quilt 1 of The 70273 Project,
and In Our Own Language 2

~ We held a block-making party at our local library in Cashiers, NC with some of the collaborative pieces Nancy and I created as backdrops.

~ Posted our first Monday Meditational Morsel on Facebook – good, positive thoughts to think on as we stitch. The idea comes from MJ Kinman who’s posted some brilliant pieces in the past. If you’d be willing to send a word or a story or a quote or some other kind of short morsel for us to take in and live out one week, please let me know, and I’ll assign you a Monday.

~ Tami Immel Draxler wrote a beautiful blog post about The 70273 Project. When you get a minute, please give it a read and leave her a comment so she’ll know you’ve been by. Thank you, Tami.

~ I’ve now heard from people in 77 different countries.

~ Thanks to envelopes from:

MJ Kinman

Carolyn Katzoff

The Engineer

and a host of Block Makers at The Cashiers Library

we close out the week with 2522 blocks in hand. Think we’ll make Kitty Sorgen’s goal of 3000 blocks in my hands by 9/5/2016? Yeah, I do, too.

As we roll into a new week, thank y’all for being part of The 70273 Project.

I spent week 22 at Camp Arrowmont, learning a new surface design technique. I don’t see me repeating this technique in its entirety, but there are parts of it I will use again. Isn’t that how good teachers teach – watch what I do, listen to why I do it this way, ask me questions about things you don’t understand, do it my way once, then take off in your own direction? Yeah, I think so, too.

THE NUMBERS

To date, I’ve heard from people in 76 different countries. Keep lighting up that map, y’all.

In my absence, I received blocks from Jeffrey Allen-Kantrowitz, Kathleen Evensong, Sue Beermann, and one anonymous maker, bringing our total number of blocks in hand to 2,398. Now remember, Kitty Sorgen set our next goal at 3,000 blocks in my hands by 9/5/2016, so keep stitching, y’all!

SOLO EXHIBIT AND A BLOCK MAKING PARTY

Tomorrow The Engineer and I will go to our local library to hang the first solo exhibit ever for Nancy and me, and on Tuesday, 7/19/2016, the library is hosting a block-making party for The 70273 Project. For visitors who might not know, Nancy is my mentally disabled sister-in-law who started making marks in June 2012. She draws, I stitch. Every time we go visit, I bring home a set of drawings, and once i’ve stitched all the drawings in a set, we have a new piece for the In Our Own Language series. In Our Own Language 1, 2, and 3 will be hanging in this exhibit, along with several pieces of the Apocrypha (a single stitched drawing surrounded by black and white) and Communion series (non-representational representations of what it’s like to have a conversation with Nancy). And, of course, Quilt 1 of The 70273 Project (Pieced by Kitty Sorgen and Quilted by MJ Kinman) will be hanging, too.

If you’re in the vicinity of Cashiers, North Carolina, please do stop by between 1 and 4 p.m. to make a block. Or several. I’ll have everything you need: a supply of base blocks and Provenance Forms, along with a plethora of materials – fabric, thread, glue, paint, markers – for making the two red X’s. We’ll have ourselves a big time, I promise.

QUILTS BEING MADE

Tomorrow four bundles of blocks go out for Quilt 2 (to Michelle Banton); Quilt 3 (to Margaret Williams); Quilt 4 (to Caroline Redistill); and Quilt 5 (to MJ Kinman). Stay tuned for updates cause you know I’ll keep you posted, and thank you to all who have offered to piece and/or quilt. Would you like to piece a top and/or quilt a quilt for The 70273 Project? Drop off a comment here on the blog, on Facebook, or, if you’re a subscriber and receive this as an email, mash the reply button and let me know.

SOMETHING NEW

Remember how a month or so ago our MJ Kinman posted on our Facebook page about stitching joy into the blocks she’s making? I thought we’d take a cue from MJ and post on our Facebook page, in our Facebook group, and here on the blog a Monday Meditative Morsel  – something good and positive we can focus on as we stitch during the week. If you’d like to be responsible for one or more weeks, please let me know so I can put you on the calendar. Doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or time-consuming – it can be a single word or a quote. You can write a paragraph or two or not, your choice.  The only things I ask are:
1) Let me know so we don’t have duplicates and I can make sure every week is covered.
2) We stay away from religion and politics.
I’ll start by scheduling the next three months, so let me know if you’re interesting and willing.

And with that, I bid y’all a hearty Thank you and big wishes for a marvelous week ahead.

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It’s 3:34 in the morning here at The 70273 Project Heartquarters. Can you believe I’m (kinda’) early posting the week in review for a change? In a few hours, I’m heading out for a surface design workshop The Engineer found last year before The 70273 Project was even a blink of an idea, and though I could sure use the time here in The Dissenter’s Chapel & Snug (my studio),  I’m going and planning to thoroughly enjoy myself whilst I spend time by myself with cloth and thread in my hands (and 70273 project work at night).

Honestly, I’m getting a teensy little bit nervous about this because I (finally) read the information they sent me about the workshop, and I want y’all to know that this instructor likes math and she apparently uses it a lot in what she’s gonna’ teach us. Good thing there aren’t any grades involved cause I sense the distinct possibility that I’ll be winging it and stitching to the beat of my own drummer. (How’s that for mixing metaphors?) (Remember: no grades.)

I’ve prepared four more bundles of blocks that will head out the door to Piecers in the next week or so. And speaking of Piecers and Quilters . . . help me show a little love to our MJ Kinman who has graciously agreed to become The Coordinator for Piecers and Quilters. (She needs a snappy title. Ideas?) Blocks and quilts will continue to be mailed to me, and I’ll be the one mailing blocks out to Piecers, but everything in between will be handled by MJ. A big round of Thank you to MJ for taking this on.

Don’t let the short stack fool you. Even though the Independence Day holiday made for a short week, we still add 98 blocks to the count, bringing our in-hand total to 2392! Let’s have a big hip, hip, hooray . . . then get back to stitching ’cause our Coxswain Kitty has set our next goal for 3,000 blocks by Labor Day (9/5/16).

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, y’all have yourselves a fine week now, ya’ hear me?

What a week it’s been, y’all. We have company visiting for The Fourth, so I’ll get right to the heart of it . . .

I’ve now hear from 73 different countries, and

drum roll, please . . .

I have 2,294 blocks in hand.

We met Kitty’s goal!

Y’all are the best – Thank you!

Of course we’re not done yet, and I heard from Kitty this afternoon when she delivered our next goal: 3,000 blocks in hand by Labor Day (9/5). Think we can do it? Me, too.

Kitty has committed to making 50+ blocks by Labor Day, and I pledge 100+. What about you? Raise your hand by making your commitment in the comments below.

As always, thank y’all. Thank y’all. Thank y’all.

Boy howdy. Being out of the studio for 2.5 weeks really puts a girl behind. It put me behind behind. I’m still struggling to catch up, but I do (finally) have some numbers for the week ending last Sunday, 6/26/2016.

Number of blocks in hand: 1714

Remember that Kitty Sorgen set a goal of 2000 blocks by Monday, 7/4, and remember that we still have blocks to be counted for this week that ends on 7/3. This is the mail that’s come in so far this week, and we have 2 more mail-delivery days. So, what do you think? Will we make it?

I’ve heard from people in 72 different countries.

I am honored to have kicked off the training day for the staff of the ARC of Volusia County last Friday morning, 6/24. They are as an enthusiastic, caring, compassionate bunch of folks you’ll ever want to meet, and there’s no doubt in my mind that, like everybody else I know who works with the special needs population, were somebody to come with the intent to harm any one of their students, they would put up a helluva fight. Room 1 on the DeLand campus of ARC Volusia County is where Nancy spends her days. I also brought home a stack of blocks made by the clients, and I’m told that clients at the Daytona campus will be making blocks to send me, too.

We have a block-making party scheduled for the afternoon of 7/19 at our wonderful library here in Cashiers, NC, and the head librarian asked me to bring some blocks and some of Nancy’s stitched drawings to go in the display case. When I took them in this week, Serenity decided she wanted more than what would fit in the display case, so, y’all, on 7/18, Nancy and I will be kicking off our very first solo exhibit! Stay tuned for more on that soon.

And last but not least, a help needed ad:
If you’re looking for something you can do with half your brain, letting the other half rest a bit, and if you have a computer, I have just the ticket. This job doesn’t matter where in he world you live, only that you have a computer and access to email or facebook messaging. You know the numbers I clip to each block? Well I could sure use somebody to create those sheets of numbers for me. I have it all figured out, so I can give you the font to use (Helvetica), the font size (14), and the after paragraph spacing (8 pt). Using this criteria allows me to make the fewest cuts, which saves me time. Anyway, I’m thinking that I can assign people who raise their hand a certain block of numbers. Y’all would fill sheets of paper with these numbers (arranged consecutively, of course), save as a .pdf, and send it to me via email or Facebook message. It’s really easy, and you can listen to a tv show in the background. You just have to stay awake enough to get the numbers right cause that’s important. If you’re willing, let me know in the comment section or send me an email. Sure do appreciate it, y’all.

Thank y’all for your enthusiasm, your investment in The 70273 Project, and for your patience as I sometimes struggle to fit The 70273 Project into what often becomes a full life. This is not how I want things to go, but sometimes it happens. I’ll catch up and do better, I promise.

We spent the week at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with our daughter and my mother. Now my mother might look like she’s sleeping here, but she isn’t. She’s coaxing those arthritic hands into making more blocks for The 70273 Project.

I set up my mobile studio and stitched up some more blocks, too, as we rode from the top of a mountain to the ocean and back.

As of this past Sunday night, I have 1,483 blocks in hand. Laurie Dunn did some math this past week, and she came up with the same answers I got when I did the math: were one person to stitch all the blocks, it would take 193 years. BUT. if 193 folks make a block a day for a year (or the equivalent – doesn’t have to be a block every day, just so long as you come up with 365), 193 people could have the 70,273 blocks completed in one year. Wouldn’t it be something to have all the blocks in hand by next Valentine’s Day – one year from when we launched? If you’re interested and willing to be one of The Mighty 193, let me know. I’m planning on taking a few seats in that tent, just doing the math to decide how many. We need a good name so we can make ourselves a pin or a badge or something. In the meantime, we’re still shooting to meet Kitty’s goal of 2,000 in hand by 7/4, so y’all keep stitching. Or, as Kitty says, Ready, Set, SEW!

The 70273 Project has received some very generous and gracious mentions this week. Do go read about us in Chloe Grice’s beautiful new blog.  And it wasn’t posted this past week, but I can’t remember if I told y’all about it or not, so I’m putting a link to Lori East’s second post about The 70273 Project right here. Lana Phillips, of the Creative Wellness blog, invited me over to pen a guest blog post. Says Lana, “I’m a Southern girl at heart who wants to build a community of people who believe they can change the world with words like “love” and “freedom” when they become more than words, but actions in our work and our daily lives.” So y’all know I felt right at home there. And Rose B. Fischer read it over at Lana’s place then shared the post in its entirety on her blog.

People are mentioning us on their Facebook timeline, tweeting us out, and helping in a bunch of different ways. Each week brings more subscribers, and the blocks keep coming in. The goodness just rains down on us, y’all. Till next week, thank y’all for being a part of The 70273 Project.

I’ve heard from people in 72 different countries now, and I have 1405 blocks in my possession. Thank y’all! Our Kitty Sorgen has set a goal of 2000 blocks in hand by July 4, so who’ll help us reach that goal? (Please leave a comment here or in the Facebook group.) I commit to make 100 blocks by June 26, 2016 – in 2 weeks – which is about the last date you can mail your blocks to be sure I receive them by July 4. Actually I need to receive them by July 3 because the post office is closed on July 4. Actually I need to receive them by July 2 because July 3 is a Sunday, and the post office is closed that day, too. How about this: please allow 7-10 days for your blocks to get to me.

It’s hard to know what to do.  I’m a woman who works best with slits and deadlines. Structure. That’s it: I like structure. But this is a Slow Project, a Meditative Project. Laying down those red X’s is a meaningful act that brings up thoughts and feelings from the depths of my soul. To rush that is to lose that.

And yet, if there’s no plan, no finish line, will I live long enough to see all 70,273 blocks?

If you have ideas or suggestions, do tell me.

And . . . I received our first quilt on Friday! Here it is: Quilt 1 of The 70273 Project. It was pieced by Kitty Sorgen and quilted by MJ Kinman. As you can see, each block still bears its identification tag, and because of our comings and goings and the arrival and departure of guests, The Engineer and I won’t be able to make the label for another couple of weeks, and we can’t remove those identification tags until the label is made. Once that’s done, though, I’ll do a Great Reveal post, show you photos of the back, close-ups of the quilting, and list the Makers whose blocks are included. Isn’t it beautiful, y’all?

STICKY NOTE: NEW PROVENANCE FORMS

Oh, one more thing before I forget: some of y’all still haven’t returned your new Provenance Form. If you didn’t receive it in the mail, please let me know and I’ll resend OR download it here and send it back to me. And if it’s more convenience and if you’ll let me know before Sunday, 6/19/2016 (I have a free trial that expires soon, and I can’t afford to pay for the service after that), I can email you one that’s ready for your electronic signature, so you can open, complete, sign, and return. I really need to get those back in asap, so thank y’all for getting them on back to me so we can continue our forward motion.

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It’s been a busy week, though not all the busyness is in The 70273 Project corner.

BLOCK COUNT
I now have 1342 blocks in my hands – up 126 from last week. This is great – fantastic, even – and if we’re gonna meet Kitty Sorgen’s goal of 2000 blocks in my hands by 7/4/2016, we’re gonna’ have to keep up the pace and maybe even step it up a little bit because we have to allow travel time for the blocks to get from you to me.

GEOGRAPHY
As for Sunday night, I’ve heard from people in 70 different countries. Keep spreading the word, y’all.

WRITING
Speaking of getting the word out . . . I penned a guest blog this week, and as soon s it’s published, I’ll sure let y’all know. I’ve also been asked to write a piece for every issue of The Blue Mountain Review (a.k.a. The Blue), which is part of The Southern Collective Experience – isn’t that fun? Clifford wants my first piece to be about The 70273 Project. Other pieces will be about Southern people and places and ways. Y’all stay tuned for more about that, too.

NEW PROVENANCE FORMS
The new Provenance Forms continue to come in by the hand full, so if you haven’t already, please take a minute to complete, sign, and return it so we can continue moving forward.

UPDATE TO PROJECT DIRECTORY IN SIDEBAR
Somebody on Facebook (I’m sorry and embarrassed that I can’t remember who it was, so I can’t let her know that I did it) asked me to include a link to The 70273 Project flyers in the sidebar. Whoever you are – thank you for the suggestion, and consider it done.

QUILT #1 UPDATE
Quilt #1 (pieced by Kitty Sorgen and quilted by MJ Kinman) has been quilted, and MJ and I are now figuring out how to do the labels I want.

OTHER QUILTS
Later this week, I’ll be boxing up more blocks to send to folks who’ve raised their hand to piece and/or quilt a quilt. (That’s why I need to get those new Provenance Forms back in.) I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again: this project is filled with good, big hearts.

Y’all please keep making blocks and spreading the word cause that’s what it takes. Till next week . . .

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Can y’all believe we just finished week #15? Time does fly, doesn’t it? I got home on Friday, 5/28, so updates are a bit on the skimpy side again. But there are still plenty of things to report and cheer:

~ I now have 1216 blocks in hand!

~ We celebrate Milestone Block #1000, a 3.5″ x 6.5″ (9 cm x 16.5 cm) beauty made by Glenda Williams who lives in Australia.

~ And we celebrate Milestone Block #1200, another 3.5″ x 6.5″ (9 cm x 16.5 cm) beauty made by Bev Haring who lives in the US.
~ As of Sunday night, I have heard from people in 69 different countries.
~ This came in from Lucy Horner, a delightful woman who’s astoundingly and productively creative, and is a crackerjack photographer (which is how I met her – in a wonderful photography class):

Hi Jeanne, I’ve just had this message from the Dean of Rochester Cathedral – “This is a very powerful initiative and I will pass this on to the Embroiders and also to the congregation as a whole. I would be more than happy for the quilts to be on display in the cathedral whenever that point is reach and do keep me informed. It might provide a very striking display at a future Holocaust Memorial Event?” … So looks like that could be the first UK venue lined up! Xx

In case y’all are wondering, The Rochester Cathedral is the second oldest cathedral in the U.K., founded in 604 A.D. I’ve already reserved Lucy’s guest room cause y’all know I need to go.
~ New Provenance Forms have been mailed to everyone, and they are being returned quite promptly – thank you for doing that so we can continue to move forward. Piecers are ready for more blocks to piece, and Quilters are ready for more tops to quilt.
~ I realized that I had scanned some of the blocks at a mere 50 dpi instead of 300 dpi, SO I will be spending 2-3 days rescanning each of the blocks at the higher dpi.
~ Mother’s church group closed out the year with a block-making party, – and they sent all their leftover fabric. And as if that’s not enough, there are rumblings of more block parties being planned.
~ The mail continues to come in by the arm full, delighting the local post mistresses, The Engineer, and moi, so keep it coming.

And remember: Kitty Sorgen has set us a new goal: 2000 blocks in my hands by July 4, 2016, so make and mail, y’all. Make and mail.

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This happened: I became a grandmother
which means that I’ve been away from the studio
for over two weeks
which means that the updates are few.
Just like the blog posts have been
because I am forced to face up to the fact
once again
that I am not Wonder Woman.
But here’s what I’ve got:

WEEK 13 (MAY 9-15, 2016)
~ By week’s end, I’ve heard from people in 63 different countries.
~ No update on block count on account of I haven’t been there to receive them.
~ I tripped over devised a shortcut in the cataloguing system, which shaved 12-14 minutes off the processing time for each block. This is Big, y’all.

~ The First Quilt Top of The 70273 Project was handed off from Piecer, Kitty Sorgen to Quilter, MJ Kinman. – two extremely beautiful, talented, generous, kickass women got to meet in a face-to-face handoff. This is Big, too, y’all. Just think: 13 weeks after launching The 70273 Project, we have our first quilt!
~ And I came upon this quote, which seems quite appropriate to The 70273 Project: “Every work of art is conceived at a sacred time and is born in a favorable moment, often without the artist noticing, out of a profound need in his heart.” —Carl Gustav Carus (1789–1869)

WEEK 14 (MAY 16-22,2016)
~ News continues to spread: by week’s end I’ve heard from people in 66 different countries.
~ Spied this blog post penned by Lori East. Thank you, Lori – for the blocks, the post, and the fun!
~ While I waited on Calder Ray (my new grandson) to come out and play, I mailed out a new Provenance Form and SASE to everybody who needs one and got caught up with the cataloguing.
~ Kitty Sorgen taught a quilting workshop last weekend, and she took along pre-cut blocks, Provenance Forms, and red fabric to tell folks about The 70273 Project during their lunch break and offer them a chance to make with one hand while eating with the other. She never misses an opportunity to get the word out, that Kitty.
~ Faye Cook, our 70273 Project Ambassador in Australia, reports that she is sending information on The 70273 Project to embroidery guilds, quilting guilds, and some Australian craft magazines. She has a parcel full of blocks from a local quilting group, and she’s making up packages for some schools for people with special needs so they can join in.

~ Lucy Iles Horner, a talented photographer, writer, and more, is busy stitching, spreading the word, and gathering blocks from all corners of the UK.
~ Having met her previous goal of 1,000 blocks by June 1 (We have 1170 as of May 8, 2016.), Kitty Sorgen, our Coxswain (and more), set a new goal: 2000 blocks in my hands by July 4, 2016. As Kitty says, Ready . . . Set . . . SEW!

On we grow and on we sew!

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