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Project/Program <br />Summary <br />A Really Big Picnic is an ongoing, expanding project and collaborative art <br />piece. This project began in 2022, when I invited friends to gather and <br />collectively create a picnic blanket, and has been slowly growing since <br />then. Each participant is invited to design and fabricate a square to add to <br />this communal piece. I provide fabric and the guidance to construct a 12 x <br />12 in square, teaching the language of quilt design and essential machine <br />sewing skills. <br />My proposal is to continue my picnic project in a series of workshops, and <br />to purchase sewing machines so I can better teach as part of this <br />project.The picnic blanket serves as a teaching tool: students will be able <br />to visualize a myriad of techniques and strategies. Example works from <br />demonstrations are added to the picnic blanket, and students will be invited <br />to create quilt squares that will be added to the piece. Tentative themes for <br />the design workshops are traditional quilt square designs, improvisational <br />quilting, and curved edges. Students will come away with their own quilt <br />square or patchwork piece, and will have learned both hand and machine <br />sewing techniques for creating their patchwork and ways to apply it. <br />The final event will be an informal hybrid workshop/picnic party. <br />Participants from the workshop series, in addition to new people, will be <br />invited to come celebrate, create more quilt squares, and show off their <br />newly acquired patchwork skills. I think of this project as a laboratory for <br />people to explore sewing methods, and for myself to experiment with <br />different modes of teaching. <br />This project serves the community of Orange County by providing both <br />creative facilitation, technical skills, and a platform for community-building, <br />via a shared project and the shared element of enjoying food together. I <br />always include some sort of food for this event (it is, after all, a picnic!). <br />W hile this project provides value for both myself and community members, I <br />have previously provided this creative service at no cost. I have reached a <br />stage where I have worked out the logistical and technical aspects of this <br />workshop/event, and would like to continue providing this platform to the <br />community without sacrificing my time and talent by lack of compensation. <br />Additionally, I have taught these workshops with one machine (my own, <br />which I enjoy but is an older, clunkier model that can be challenging for a <br />beginner to learn on). To have additional, consistent, and up-to-date <br />machines will improve my impact of what I can teach and what participants <br />can learn. <br />This project will take place in Spring 2026, with workshops once a month in <br />March, April, and May, and the final picnic event at the end of May. I <br />envision the workshops occurring at different locations to reach different <br />communities. This aspect of the project is in flux, but I have budgeted for <br />space rental. I am planning on having at least one workshop at a library, <br />potentially all of them at different Orange County libraries. <br />Docusign Envelope ID: BE2D14D2-BDA9-45B6-BC41-845725EC0A73