Even though I loved it last year, I told myself I wasn’t going to participate in the 100-Day Project this year.
My schedule is quite busy over the next few months, and fitting in another project is the last thing I need to do. But…I woke up this morning and couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I spent my entire morning walk plotting it out. It went a little something like this:
“Hmmm, I really shouldn’t take on another project.
But it was so fun last year, you don’t really want to miss out on the fun, do you?
No, I really don’t! But what can I work on that will be fun and not too challenging to sneak in between my other commitments?
Hmmm, I do love a mini. And I love improv.
But you did improv last year.
Yes, and it was SO fun!
SOLD”
Learn more about the improv process in Improv Behind the Scenes video course.
Why I Took On the 100-Day Challenge Again
Here’s the thing: turning your passion into a business is an amazing opportunity, but it can be stressful at times. What I loved about my last 100-day project was that it was ALL about fun. And that’s exactly what I need; a project to tap into my quilty joy. After all, isn’t that why we started quilting in the first place?
What the 100 Day Project Is and How It Works
The Origins of the 100 Day Project
In case this is the first you’re hearing about The 100-Day Project, then here’s a quick overview.
This creative challenge was started in 2013 by Elle Luna and Lindsay Jean Thomson. They even have a site set up dedicated to just hosting this annual challenge.
How Makers Connect Through the Hashtag
Most of the connections happen over on Instagram with #the100dayproject to make it easy to follow along and connect with new makers.
This is supposed to be about developing a creative practice and having fun. If you miss a day here and there, they say to just keep going!
New this year is a series of interviews with a few different artists. You can listen to the ones that have already been shared here and sign up for their newsletter to stay up to date and get some encouragement along the way!
The Rules Guiding My 100 Day Project Improv Minis
So, to keep this as straightforward as possible, here are the parameters I outlined for myself during my walk (amazing what you can think through in an hour 😉):
- I can only use scraps and material already in my stash. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this actually helps me put a dent in my fabric scrap stash. I’m running out of storage space, and I really don’t want to just toss them.
- Sessions have to be short and cannot exceed an hour. I’m hoping to target 15-minute daily sessions. A quick in and out!
- They will all be minis. No larger than 12″ square. At least that’s the current plan…
- Which will hopefully also put a dent in my ever-expanding stash of batting scraps (the situation really is getting out of control).
- The focus is to play. There are no rules (other than those identified above), and the point is to just let loose and create for the fun of it and tap into my quilty joy.
That’s it! That’s my plan for my 2018 100-Day Project.
Easy enough, right?!
Using Plus Infinity Quilt Scraps for My Improv Mini
Here’s the first stack of fabric scraps that I’ll be dipping into. These are leftover from my original Plus Infinity quilt, and I’ve been meaning to play with them for quite a while now. I was wavering between blue or green as the kick-off to this project, but with a little help from you through my IG Stories poll, green won out (it was neck-in-neck for quite a while with blue being the frontrunner before green took over)!!
I may just need to alternate between these two bundles to see what I can create and keep things interesting 😊
How This Project Supports My Sustainable Quilting Goals
A side benefit of all this is that I’ll be fulfilling a personal objective of reducing the amount of waste I create. I’ve been limiting my rate of consumption and trying to live a more minimal lifestyle – in all areas. I’m always shocked at the number of garbage bags I see people throwing out on a weekly basis. I can’t control what others do, but I can be mindful of the waste I’m creating and try to limit it as much as possible. This is just another step towards achieving that.
Improv quilting isn’t always the first thing associated with sustainable quilting, but I bust that myth in this blog post!
For more improv quilting inspiration, check out:
I’ll be sharing my photos with you over on Instagram with #100daysofsfdminis in case you want to follow along. There are always so many amazing artists and makers that participate in this creative challenge, so be sure to check out #the100dayproject to see what everyone is getting up to.
I hope you’ll consider joining this creative challenge and would love to know what you’ll be tackling – share in the comments below!
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
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I loved following along with you last year so I’m looking forward to the results of your improv sessions with these gorgeous greens! Yay for daily fun! 🙂
Thanks, Izzy! It's fun to just let loose every once in awhile 😉
I loved following your improv play last year…here's to more fun for you! Last year I made it all the way to Day 9. It just seemed like posting 100 days of hand stitching would be like watching paint dry for my followers. This year I think I solved that, plus I am really committed to improving my fmq, so I think the new learning will be motivating for me. Good luck to us all!
FMQ is something I would like to improve too, so I'm excited to follow along on your journey and be inspired! And it's a great idea to focus on a skill that you want to build on, perfect way to stay motivated!! Good luck!!
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All sites are working..This is great thing..A huge thanks from my side…:)
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This sounds like so much fun! Even though I’ve been making a fair number of quilts, they’re very basic. I would love to give myself permission to just play. Do you have any examples of people who did this but with print fabrics? I have very few solids. So if I’m aiming to just use my stash, it would need to be with prints and/or blenders. (And I’m sure I’ll still struggle with giving myself permission to use those fabrics because I may need them for something else.🫤) But I think trying an endeavor like this will feed my longing for more creativity but without the pressure of making some set project that really needs to turn out.❤️
That’s all you need to do, Lisa, is give yourself permission to play. And you’ll be so happy you did! Improv is simply the best and you can absolutely use prints in your improv play. Here’s an example of improv featuring bold prints and colours – House of Cards: https://shannonfraserdesigns.ca/2019/10/27/house-of-cards-modern-improv-quilt/