Christine Kane is one of my favorite singers, songwriters, life coaches, writers, creativity experts … you get the idea. This article was originally published in her wonderful Newsletter, Volume Two, Issue Four.  I hope you enjoy it!

Boost Your Creativity with Adventure Day

“The best way to open your mind is to apply a jolt of unfamiliarity.”
“The Big Moo”, by Seth Godin and The Group of 33

Do you notice that your most juiciest ideas never come when you’re staring at the computer screen?

Do you ever wonder how to get the creativity flowing or how to generate a zest for life?

Are you in the midst of great change and know there’s something new out there but don’t know what it is?

If you answered yes to any of these, then it’s possible you need to shake things up a bit. You need Adventure Day.

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I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl.  Like a lot little girls, I started sewing doll clothes on my mom’s machine while she would sew matching outfits for my sister and me.  (I’m the tall one.  Or, I used to be.  Since I’m older, I’m starting to shrink faster).

I made my first quilt about ten years ago after finding a pattern in Women’s Day magazine for the Trip Around the World Quilt that you could finish in eight hours.  It took me more than eight hours, but not that much more.  I made four of them in quick succession.  I didn’t know the first thing about fabrics, and several of the quilts have since fallen apart.  They were tied, not quilted.  I had no idea how to make a binding so I just brought the backing to the top and folded it over.  I am pretty sure I didn’t iron a single block.

I didn’t quilt for a long time after that.  I had friends who quilted and it never occurred to me to ask them about it.  I simply was not in the least bit interested.  I took up machine embroidery and loved it.  I even bought a “Quilter’s Embroidery Edition” Bernina but never thought about quilting.

As an aside, the short person in the photo turned out to be a brilliant fiber artist, and makes the most beautiful batiks I’ve ever seen.  She doesn’t sell them commercially yet, but I’m working on her!

In a moment of weakness, I joined the Crafter’s Choice Book Club.  All of a sudden I was getting two or three really big books on things like crocheting and quilting because I kept forgetting to tell them not to send me the automatic selections.  I sent some of the books back, but found a box from them in my closet a few months ago.  Inside were these two books:

I still didn’t take the bait right away. I let them sit on a shelf for a few weeks.  One night I picked up Quilter’s Catalog and that was it.  I read 80% of the book, which is crazy because it’s meant to be a resource, not something you just sit and read.  Then I devoured Quilt with Confidence and then I went to the library and rented some DVD’s about quilting and then I went to Goodwill and found some old books on quilting.

Next thing you know, I was at the fabric store, picking things for some practice Churn Dash blocks.    I was hooked!!

Deadline:  April 1, 2009

What:  Fundraiser for American Cancer Society

Where:  Online

When:  May 5-7, 2009

Donate a collage or two or three!  These must be 10×8 or mounted on a 10×8 board (see mounting information here).  You can make an art quilt or paper and mixed fiber collages.  Take a look at all the incredible entries from last year, which raised $13,000.  The goal for this year is $20,000 and I bet we can beat that!!

Collage is a blast!  If you’re a quilter, try doing mixed media on a 10×8 board.  Get a little crazy with it.  I’m going to try to get several of these done in the next few months.  I think it will be a nice break from quilting.

Entry Information:    Collage Mania