Monday 23 December 2013

Merry Christmas (and some holiday reading)

Christmas is nearly upon us, and I, for one, have pretty much checked out for the year.  I've finished work and am definitely in holiday mode - I hope you are too (or at least are nearly there!).

I'm going to take a short blogging break to spend some time with my family and refresh my creative energies (that sounds terribly artsy fartsy but I couldn't think of a better way to put it) for 2014.  I'll be back early in the New Year.  In the meantime, I'll be tootling around on instagram - find me here or look me up - my username is @adrianneonthewindyside.

Image from Pantone

Make sure you stick around - Anne from Play Crafts and I have teamed up to co-host the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Radiant Orchid and we are very excited about it!  We will be announcing all the details on January 6th, and already have some amazing prizes lined up, so start thinking about what you might like to make for the challenge.

In case you are looking for some reading material over the break, I've included some blog posts that I found really informative and thought provoking this year.

First up is this series on how to be a better craft teacher from SewMamaSew, written by Deborah from Whipstitch. I have a bit of teaching lined up next year and I will be re-reading these posts before each class.

Series Introduction
Be a Better Craft Teacher Part 1: Know Your Stuff
Be a Better Craft Teacher Part 2: Know Your Student
Be a Better Craft Teacher Part 3: Know Your Goal
Be a Better Craft Teacher Part 4: Know Your Medium
Be a Better Craft Teacher Part 5: Know Your Limits
Be a Better Craft Teacher Part 6: Know Your Effectiveness

I'm not sure exactly how I stumbled across Sam Hunter's blog posts about what quilts are worth, but I was sure glad I did.  I don't think we all need to agree on exactly how to calculate the value of a quilt, but I definitely think we should all be thinking about it, and what you would do if you were asked to make a quilt for money.

Sam Hunter's First Post
Sam Hunter's Second Post
Sam Hunter's We are $ew Worth It page

Then Miss Molli (aka Josh) from Molli Sparkles picked up the mantle when he was asked to design and sew a quilt for a friend.  In these posts he talks about how he costed a specific quilt, and in the second post he responds to some of the comments on the first post.  You could spend hours reading all the comments on these posts!  There were plenty of divergent views and even though it caused a bit of debate, I think it was a topic worth debating.

TGIFF - No Value Does Not Equal Free
No Value Does Not Equal Free - Some Responses

Quilting would be a whole lot less fun without the encouragement, support and interaction I get through this blog and the online quilting community, so thank you for making 2013 such a great year!  Merry Christmas and have a safe and happy festive season!

11 comments:

Molli Sparkles said...

Awe, thanks sweetie, for including me in your list! Hope you have a fab holiday and enjoy the battery recharge!

Leigh Anne said...

OOOh I'll be checking out those teaching articles for sure! Have my first class in January and am getting a bit nervous :)

Lisa in Port Hope said...

Merry Christmas to you too. Me, I'm hoping to get lots of sewing done while I'm off work :)

Leonie said...

Merry Christmas - have a wonderful break :)

Maryse said...

Hi there, I have been reading Sam Hunter's post, on your suggestion, ''What it's worth'' regarding pricing handmade quilts and it really go my attention. So accurate! Everybody in this field should read this.A.L.L.E.L.U.I.A. Thank you, THANK YOU for this post! Unfortunately most people have no idea the money and time that goes into a quilt, and we are not only talking about quilting here, we are talking about any handmade goods…It is ridiculous how low some of the quilts sell for online, I can’t just believe it sometimes…I don’t sell my quilts, I honestly don’t think I could, I give them away but only to selected people…Please, lets educate people and pass this article on.

Jessica said...

Ooh, I can't WAIT for the Orchid challenge. Might start planning tomorrow. Heh. :) Have a wonderful break. You deserve it!

dutchcomfort said...

Enjoy your break and a wonderful Christmas time!

Jo Jo said...

Happy Christmas Adrianne! Wishing you and those moggies a lovely break!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Merry Christmas Adrianne!

Leanne said...

Have a great holiday!

Yang said...

thank you for this