Surprise . . . Surprise . . . Surprise!

Picture it . . . Sicily, 1963. A poor peasant girl on her way home, after a busy day herding goats, decides to visit a neighborhood bar . . . Oh, snap! I’m sorry, I was channeling the Golden Girls for a minute. Please forgive me. Sometimes my thoughts ricochet around like a BB in a box car.

Last night I was all about old game shows. Now it’s the Golden Girls and Gomer Pyle. What is up with that? Or maybe, the question you really should be asking is . . . What is he going to say next? (Visualize a closeup of hands rubbing together in a sinister manner, maniacal laughter and strange muttering going on in the background. Scene fades to black.)

Snap Out Of It! Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah, I was speaking to Lisa, a member of the hgtv.com message board. We were discussing their annual Circle of Friends retreat, which was to be held in Houston. While discussing this retreat, she mentioned that one of the members started a scrap challenge for the group, after seeing my episode on Simply Quilts.

Reoccuring Characters I learned that my little quilt inspired someone enough to organize and host an annual message board event called the Scraps to Treasures Challenge. I also found out that this challenge had been going on for two years. (I had no idea this was taking place.) The person who started this challenge was Jean. (Yep, the same Jean I introduced you to last week.) As if she weren’t already busy enough, Jean thought that the message board members could use this challenge to stretch their creativity and help others at the same time.

Lisa said that I was going to have the opportunity to meet Jean at the retreat. I was a little nervous about meeting her. You see, Jean is a very influential figure on the message board. One of the queen bees, so to speak. She is talented, articulate and a constant cheerleader and motivator. Knowing this, I was a little afraid she would be disappointed after meeting me. I knew she had expectations. I had expectations. It was very scary, until I actually met her. I found out that Jean is very friendly, down-to-earth, and has a wonderful sense of humor.

Lots of Fun. Lots of Laughs. I truly had a marvelous time with the group and would love to share more details with you, but as they say. . .“What happens at retreat . . . stays at retreat.” I know, I know. I could tell you lots of stories about who did what—and where—but I’d have to change the names to protect the innocent, and as we both know, there were no innocents involved.

Popping The Question I ran into Lisa following my visit to the retreat. We chatted about the group and all the fun I had meeting them. During our conversation she brought up the fact that the third Annual Scraps to Treasures Challenge was about to begin. Both she and Jean wondered if I might be interested in participating in the challenge, because they knew I loved both scraps, and a challenge. They also thought this would be a great surprise for the challenge members if I played along.

The Adventure Begins I agreed to participate, but agreed to do so, only if my involvement remained a secret until the end. They agreed to my terms and the challenge had a new participant. I diligently worked on my quilt as I followed the threads on the message board. As the challenge continues the anticipation builds.

The quilts are not allowed to be shown until the “big reveal” at the end of the challenge.  Jean provides peeks, advice and words of encouragement as the challenge continues. She is always vigilant. Always supportive. There are lots of prizes and surprises when this event comes to an end. It’s truly worth the wait, when you get to see all the quilts for the first time. You get to see how others who took the same journey you did, came away with a completely different result.

Like the Simply Quilts Challenge, each Scraps to Treasures participant is working with the same core fabrics. That’s what makes this challenge so great. Each person is working under the same limitations. These limitations are what stretches your creativity and forces you to move out of your comfort zone. This is the essence of a good challenge, and that is why I participated.

Show Me The (#@!?//%*$) Quilt! Geez, you are getting so impatient, but I appreciate your enthusiasm. Here it is . . .

Just Sing, Sing A Song, by Tom Russell, 2008 Scraps To Treasures Challenge

So, What Do You Think? I think it turned out pretty well. I had a lot of fun working on it and participating in the challenge. The camaraderie was fantastic—even if I was invisible to the other challengers. Just being a part of it, was a very rewarding experience.

So, If you are looking for a challenge, I highly recommend this one. Participating in this challenge has brought me many wonderful things beyond friendship and a new quilt. I’ll tell you more about this quilt’s journey a little later on. It has been very busy since the challenge.

The Next Challenge I’m sure you’re wondering . . . “When’s the next challenge. Can I get in on it?” Sure you can. It’s super easy to do, and the next challenge is just about ready to start. Just to be clear. There are no special requirements for participation. Anyone can enter. The challenge is open to ALL skill levels from beginner to advanced. All you need to participate is a little fabric and a willingness to take an adventure. The best thing about this adventure, is that you are not doing it alone. You’ll have all sorts of great company.

Check It Out To participate in the challenge, you have to sign up to be a member of the hgtv.com message board. You have to sign up because all the information is shared there. You won’t get any silly notices or spam crap. Signing up gives you access to the message board. That is all. You can read the messages without signing up, but you can’t post or see peeks. How easy is that?

If you want to check out the challenge, Jean has all the information ready to go. (Click here for Challenge details. If want to check out past challenges, click here.) Even if you decide not to participate, I highly recommend that you monitor the challenge. It is always a great source of entertainment and inspiration.

If you decide to become a member of the message board, tell them I sent you. If you decide to participate in the challenge, please let me know. I always check on the challenges while they are in progress, so don’t be surprised if I drop by to cheer you on.

Who knows, I could be participating right now . . . (maniacal laughter . . . again.)

Tags: challenge, friends, HGTV, message board, scraps, Simply Quilts