Tag Archives: Contests and Challenges

Chicago, Here We Come!

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I am very excited to announce that both quilts I submitted were juried into the special exhibit “A Celebration of Color” which is debuting at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago in April!  The quilts are “Playing Well Together” which I made for the Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine/Michael Miller fabric #mquOldisNew block and quilt challenge, and “Drunkard’s Bullseye WOW!” which was derived from one of the blocks from the #mquOldisNew challenge.    Take that QuiltCon!

This was such uplifting news as I am recovering from head trauma that I sustained the first week of January when I was bucked off of my young mare. Fortunately I was wearing a helmet, or I probably wouldn’t be able to write this at all.  I’m slowly recovering.  For someone who is normally an energizer bunny, this has been difficult.  I have been able to do some limited sewing and quilt designing, but find that I get really fatigued after an hour of concentration.  I am hoping that I will be able to make the trip to Chicago in early April and see if one will get a  ribbon.  But regardless, it is such an honor to have not only one but two  quilts chosen for such a prestigious show!

“Playing Well Together” is Michael Miller Fabrics Choice for the #OldisNewMQU Challenge

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playing-well-together-signed

I am so honored to have my quilt chosen as the winner of the Michael Miller Fabrics Choice Award! This was my very first challenge in which to participate, and it has been such an amazing creative adventure. I challenged myself to learn something new or try a new technique with each block. I became proficient at designing blocks on EQ7 and designing my layout and auditioning quilting for the blocks using my computer graphics program.  I would recommend everyone push their creative envelope by participating in challenges. You never know what you can do until you try!  Thank you to  Michael Miller Fabrics, to Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine for organizing the challenge, and thank you to the other sponsors: Superior Threads(I used Superior’s So Fine, Bottom Line, and Monopoly), Babylock, and Mountain Mist batting. I also want to congratulate all the other participants for making some very creative blocks and quilts! 

 

Playing Well Together

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17 months ago I started participating in The Modern Quilts Unlimited Magazine/Michael Miller Fabric “Old is New” block challenge.  This has been such an amazing growth experience for me with regard to developing my creative side as well as my technical abilities.  Each month we were presented with a traditional block and had to come up with a more modern “new” version, and in the end put them all together in a quilt.   I played with many variations of setting the blocks using my graphics program trying to come up with a version that maximized negative space.  When I thought of staggering them on point and looked at how the piecing would be, I realized I could create an optical illusion of depth by using three shades of green.

I had a blast quilting it…and quilt it, I did!  For months I had been auditioning quilting designs on the blocks again using my graphics program, so for almost all of the blocks, I knew what I was going to do.  I used three variations of circles and lines in the staggered sashing, and really like the Yin and Yang circle on the last sashing.

I used Superior threads monopoly in clear or So Fine, and Bottom Line in  the bobbin.  The batting was Hobbs 80/20 topped with Hobbs Tuscany collection cotton/wool blend.  Size was 60 x 60″, the max size.

I’m concerned that for the final quilt competition, this might not be considered “modern enough” by the Modern Quilt Police.  But in the end, I love it!  This is what I would consider “modern traditionalism”.  What do you think?

I named this quilt “Playing Well Together” (which is a bit of a political statement considering the current political climate) in that even though the blocks are all very diverse, the group works well together.

Voting starts today and goes through Nov 30th.  Click on this link to go to the voting site.  Scroll down the page past “rules” and check out all the really beautiful quilts.  Click on the VOTE box next to your favorite (hopefully mine!).  https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pgtb.me%2FMfCtTr%2Fh5Cj1%3Fw%3D36927840%26e%3D140583845

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  And let’s all Play Well Together.

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Final Blocks of the Modern Quilts Unlimited Mag/Michael Miller Fabrics Block Challenge!

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With the last few blocks to do, the challenge was to  design blocks that would complement the patterns and colors of the other 9 blocks and create a harmonious and cohesive quilt.   The final quilt challenge will determine whether I succeeded in this task.  The quilts will be posted by Nov 15th and voting will go from Nov 16th -30th.

June’s block was Drunkard’s Path (below left).   This traditional block is simply a quarter of a  circle set within a square.  There are many, many ways that these can be set to make a block or quilt.  As you can see in my modern version (below right), Drunkard’s Bull’s Eye, there are numerous drunkard’s path subunits  in each quarter circle gradually enlarging from the center outward with alternating light and dark.  The light colored fabrics were graded from light to darker as you moved from the center outward  which gives it incredible depth and a luminous quality.  It just seems to jump out at you  while at the same time it recedes into the distance.  This was my favorite block of the 12, and  I can see a large one-block quilt in my future!

The final block of the challenge was Jacob’s ladder.

JacobsLadderBlock

This block when put together in a quilt, can create some beautiful secondary patterns.  Just search Pinterest for Jacob’s ladder quilts and you will see a beautiful mix of traditional and modern takes on this classic block.

 

I played around quite a bit with this one, and below are several drafts of potential blocks designed in EQ7.

But in the end, I decided to make it a little simpler than the original and give it the look of an actual ladder.  I reversed the colors on either side of the ladder and I love the contrast.   The turquoise,  purple, and orange also complement two of the other blocks…Sailing the Chevron Sea and ZigZag BowTie.  My version of Jacob’s ladder won the last block challenge.

Contemporary Jacob's ladder

I had one last block to create.  I wasn’t able to do the rail fence block during the month it was featured, so I had a chance to design a block to balance the colors and pattern of my Spiral Pinwheel block.  The “Rail Fence in a Rail Fence” does a great job of complementing the pinwheel block, and I was very happy with the result.  What do you think?

Rail Fence in a Rail Fence                          Spiral Pinwheel

TaDa!  Below are my twelve blocks!

 

Ironically, I thought the due date was Sept 10th, so I was frantically working to get it finished. For the last few months of the challenge I was already playing around with  the layout on my graphics program, and was doodling with the the quilting motifs for each block on my iPad.  That sped things up a lot.   The piece was on the frame and I was quilting it when I checked the site to see if anyone had already posted a finished quilt and low and behold, found that it was not due until Nov 15th!  I was so relieved!  I had to go to Maryland to help my daughter haul two horses to North Carolina, so I had plenty of time after my trip to finish it.   I’m super happy with it and can’t wait for the big reveal in November.    Here is a sneak peek of some of the quilting:

Stay tuned for voting Nov 16th to Nov 30th to vote in the final Quilt Challenge!

So Glad to be Home!

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I’m finally home from Florida and all of the horses arrived safe and sound.  I have been crazy busy with all the catching up yard work to do and cleaning and organizing the barn.  I finally spent a couple of afternoons and evenings working on this month’s block challenge.  The block this month was our choice of the classic “sailboat” or “airplane”.

I played around with the airplane block on EQ7, but really didn’t like anything I came up with.  I first came up with doing 4 sailboats on the diagonal sailing around the north star and did that block, but after completion, I wasn’t satisfied with it.  What do you think?

Sailing by the north star

So back to the EQ7 drawing board!  Here are some ideas I came up with.

Thinking about the waves made me think of rough seas and then I thought about doing the waves as chevrons.  This is the block I decided to do for the Block challenge:

Sailing the Chevron Seas

I think this will go nicely with the other blocks for the ultimate quilt challenge.  Voting starts today!  Go to http://a.pgtb.me/MfCtTr/h5Cj1?w=36927840&e=123431568 .  Scroll down the page and click on the vote box of the block you like the most!

 

 

Card Trick on Steroids wins the Modern Quilts Unlimited/Michael Miller Block Challenge

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Card Trick on steroids 800 sign

Traditional Card Trick Block

This was the 4th month of the Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine/Michael Miller fabric “What’s Old is New” block challenge.  The traditional block was “Card Trick”.  For some reason the ideas were just not coming, plus there was The International Quilt Festival to go to, and a dressage clinic to organize and ride in.   Finally, the week it was due, I worked on several possibilities on EQ7 and had 4 card trick “blocks” encircling the block.  My daughter, Sarah, suggested to tuck them all together.  I thought, “well that’s not going to be easy”.  So I printed out my original version, cut them out, taped them together, and then redesigned it on EQ7, and added the 2 tone effect for each “corner”.  I had to fiddle with the layout  to get the paper piecing groupings to work  out, but even with that I had four set-in seams (Thank you, Gyleen Fitzgerald for your technique for doing set-in seams!  If you don’t know it, you can watch it on THE Quilt Show).   I had to hand applique the final  middle square onto the top to finish it off. (I am redesigning it to eliminate the set-in seams and the hand appliqued middle square).   I was really pleased with how it turned out.  Next was naming it.  Jerry and Sarah didn’t like any of the names I came up with.  Thought about it for 2 days and on the day it  was due,  I showed it to Jerry again and said “What about 4 of a kind?”  And he said, “I don’t see 4 of a kind”.  He pointed out that two of the small corner blocks were reversed in color.  So instead of an orange on the very tip, I had a teal.  I couldn’t believe that I had looked at this block for days, and didn’t see it!  Neither did Sarah.  So, I tramped up the stairs, ripped that part out, and redid that section…just in time to submit it!  After all that, I finally decided on “Card Trick on Steroids” but wish now I had just named it “Texas Card Trick” since I’m a Texan and everything is bigger here!

Month 3 of Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine/Michael Miller fabric block challenge.

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Supernova

Supernova Ohio Star is my rendition of the traditional  Ohio Star block.  The block was designed in idraw and paper pieced using Michael Miller cotton couture fabrics:  amethyst, orange, apricot, lemon.  VOTE for my block by going to the following link: http://a.pgtb.me/MfCtTr/h5Cj1?w=36927840&e=104456844 .  Scroll down the page and click on the VOTE BOX.  Every vote counts!  Voting starts 10/11 and goes through 10/14.