The Shape of Challenges

 With  the long awaited arrival of the latest CQ newsletter ( great job by Margaret)  the challenges for  2015 Journal Quilts and Foq were revealed. This will be my 13th  year of making JQ's - I had already been making them for a few years before  Contemporary Quilt started doing it.
The  rules this year are that they be 6" x 12"  and you choose portrait or landscape format and stick to it.  That will be the hard part for me!

When this size was last set in 2009, I didn't like it very much , especially after I'd so enjoyed the 12" square challenge  the year before. While  I did produce some nice pieces ( the  best  I've shown here) some were quite dreadful ( I'll spare you those!)

Now having made several 40 x 80cm portrait quilts  for International Threads, I've learnt to enjoy this format  and the new  CQ challenge 'Elements'  is  nearly the same at  45 x 80cm. So there is some advantage to using   portrait format JQ's as trial pieces and experiments( and probably more doors!) 
However,  making little books using the Fabriano Mediavalis cards  as the basis ,  I like the idea of a landscape  series ( even bought a panoramic sketchbook to take up to Rydal Hall retreat, in 5 weeks time ,inspired by the purchase of  Norman Ackroyd's  Shetland Notebook). Seascapes would probably feature again too.

So which format to go for? 

 UPDATE - thanks for all the comments, I decided in the end to go for Landscape.


 

Book of Elounda - Textures and Patterns

Some pages from my 'Book of Marks' from Elounda, Crete.

Compiled on site  from: watercolours and sketches on Fabriano Medievalis cards ; colour catchers  with frottage and acrylic paint monoprints ; fabrics brought with me -my own indigo and  hand dyes from Alter Ego (I'm also the lucky owner of one of Jo's sketchbooks thanks to a birthday present from Sue!) .

Inspired by the local landscape ( especially the clouds and sunrises over Spinalonga peninsula) and the textures of the flora and peeling doors.