Sunday, June 19, 2011

Challenge: Ridiculous


Let's get to it then, shall we? Thank you again for your enthusiasm for a Ridiculous Challenge this summer! I'm pretty excited. I was thinking we could keep this fun but informal - I've created a Flickr group for you to post your inspiration photos and finished objects, and I'm putting together a prize package for the end of summer (more on that below). But in the meantime, a little recap of the challenge.

Challenge: Ridiculous is all about taking your craft to zany and unexpected places. Maybe it means taking on a "stretch" project that pushes your comfort zone - venturing into whimsical prints if you're usually one for whipping up basics, trying out a new technique you've been eyeing for ages now, pouring gobs of time into getting the details right if you're usually a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of crafter, or drafting a pattern for the first time ever. Or maybe for you it's about bringing the spontaneity back into crafting - she saw! she coveted! she plunged in without a second thought! - which could be the perfect antidote for us overthinkers out there (ahem). Great! That's exactly what the Ridiculous Challenge is all about! There is nothing Too Ridiculous or Not Ridiculous Enough. But if you ever catch a thought that begins with, "I really shouldn't be doing this ..." then 1) Go do it, please! and 2) consider it Ridiciulous Enough!


Whatever it takes to keep you feeling like a rockstar!


We'll keep each other updated through our blogs and through the Flickr page. Upload your inspiration, write rambling posts about your thought process. Do share with us what worked and what didn't! Improvisation and going off the deep end are both part of the creative process, and this here is about celebrating those together.

At the end of summer, I'll put up a post asking for nominations for Ridiculous projects that deserve an award (or at least to be showcased in a most Ridiculous fashion). We'll interview the Inspired Ridiculous Crafters about their inspiration and why this project was particularly Ridiculous for them, and crown a winner! I'm still figuring out prizes -- so if you wanted to contribute a prize, let me know. It would be fun if we could have different categories (Most Ridiculously New Technique Tried, Most Ridiculous To Wear To A School Reunion, So Ridiculous I'd Stalk You For An Autograph, etc.)


For my part, I'm planning a series of Ridiculous projects for you this summer. First up, a plan to convert this fabric into a summer dress ...


But if you're looking for some Ridiculous inspiraiton, please look no further than Sigrid, who has already stitched up a stunning example of Ridiculouslry. She deserves an ovation, that woman.

7 comments:

willywagtail said...

Sounds like a ridiculous idea to me. Actually I love the thought of seeing the thought processes that go intokthe sewing adventure. It creates enthusiasm in me and nudges along little whims I might have had. All I need to do now is actually sew. Now that WOULD be ridiculous. Cherrie

Alessa said...

Awesome! Your ideas for what constitutes ridiculousy are wonderful, I hadn't thought about it like that. Now I have some funny ideas...

Sigrid said...

Ohh that fabric ! So not tasteful. And so my taste!

Sigrid said...

And Jessica, thank you so much for nudging me back to my happy sewing place !

Becky said...

Yay, I'm excited! Both to work on my own project, and to see what else comes out of this. (Though I'm beginning to think that "ridiculous" might constitute me actually getting through my Summer Essentials plan, considering it's over halfway through June and I've finished, oh, a pair of shorts...)

Zonnah said...

I can not wait to see what you do with that fabric!!!

Ali said...

Hooray for ridiculous! I'm concocting a ridiculous plan but it changes by the hour. At the moment: binge indulgent sewing that is not on my sewing essentials list. Ah!!! A challenge with time limits and stash fabrics. "I really shouldn't be doing this ..." Really, really.