Tag Archives: Quilt contest

“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!

Creating the Lemoyne Star Pinwheel

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Lemoyne Star is the block for this month’s Modern Quilts Unlimited/Michael Miller block challenge. This was particularly challenging as I had an episode of sciatica this past month. Wow! I cannot imagine having that much pain and spasm long term! It really put the skids on my normal energizer bunny life style.  Anyway, I am much better now!  I came up with a design early on that I called “Faceted Lemoyne star”, but there were so many tiny pieces and I just didn’t think I was up to that.   I had plenty of time to lay around and daydream, so I redesigned the block on EQ7 and came up with “Lemoyne Star Pinwheel”. It is a really beautiful simple block. I love the 3D effect and the luminosity of the fabrics against the dark background.

Faceted Lemoyne StarLemoyne pinwheel unsigned copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So next came construction. I thought I would try using Ruth B. McDowell’s technique. I recently got a couple of books by Ruth B. McDowell…her “Piecing Workshop” and her “Design Workshop” in order to expand my piecing skills to do more complicated blocks. It is paper piecing with a twist. Freezer paper is used as templates and you don’t sew through the paper. The finished product is not a mirror image of the pattern as with traditional paper piecing. After designing my block on EQ7, I decided to try her technique to put this block together.  With all the marking you do it actually turned out to be more accurate than regular paper piecing.

On the left is the 12″ block printed onto regular paper and taped together.  Then you trace the block onto the shiny side of freezer paper with a sharpie (below right).  The outside  perimeter is marked with a highlighter to  orient your sides to straight of grain.

Lemoyne pinwheel full size pattern copy

Paper template for auditioning fabric

freezer paper traced block copy

Traced design on shiny side of freezer pape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you turn the freezer paper over and with a pencil trace the pattern, outline each section with a colored pencil, label each piece and note the color of fabric, etc, and make markings to line up pieces and mark intersections (below).

close up of section with markings

Sections labeled and intersections marked

Next the freezer paper sections are cut out and ironed onto the back side of the corresponding fabric.  Using a rotary cutter and a ruler, cut out each piece adding 1/4″ all around (below left). For the pieces on the exterior edges, line the straight of grain up with the highlighted outside edge. This ensures that you do not have bias on the outside of edges of the block.  For the outside edges, I added at least 1/2″ seam allowance to ensure that when the blocks are squared up I have enough fabric (Sometimes, even I am not perfect!) to make the blocks a perfect 12.5″.

freezer paper on fabric with 1:4" seam added

1/4″ seam allowance added

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Add extra seam allowance outside edges

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can audition the fabrics by placing the pieces on the front side of the original paper template  (Below left).  Next, the subunits are joined matching the marks.  In this case D1 to D2. (Below right).  Sewing just to the edge of the freezer paper.  Then adding D3.

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Matching the marks on the seam lines.

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Auditioning the fabric

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sewing adjacent to the freezer paper

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Adding D3 to the sewn D1/D2 piece

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Finished subunit. Reverse.

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Finished subunit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished subunit D1/D2/D3 is shown above with seams pressed open.

My background squares and triangles were added using Gylene Fitzgerald’s Y-seam “butterfly” method.  All the points matched very well, if I do say so myself!

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Added background square and perfectly matched points

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voila!  The finished block!

Lemoyne pinwheel unsigned copy

By the way, this block did win the block challenge!

Square in a Square block challenge

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February’s block challenge for the Modern Quilts Unlimited/Michael Miller “Everything old is new” is the classic Square in a Square block.

Image 2-11-16 at 6.35 PM

This month the challenge for me was to find the time to think about quilting.  I’m pursuing my other passion for a few months….which is training and riding my dressage horses.  I’m in not so sunny and warm Florida with my daughter, Sarah, and our horses.  Off center square in a square

Anyway, I did bring my sewing machine, my Michael Miller cotton couture fabrics, and spent a couple of days playing with my graphics program.  I came up with the off center square in a square.

But I thought that I would try to do a 3D effect and continued to tinker with the design and finally decided on 3D pyramid in a square in a square.  I transferred the design to EQ7 and designed the paper pieced block.  I think I like it!  If you like it, you can vote for my block until Feb 14th by clicking on the link:  http://a.pgtb.me/MfCtTr/h5Cj1?w=36927840&e=119505436

3D pyramid square in a square signed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern Quilts Unlimited Magazine/Michael Miller fabrics block challenge, month #2.

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Second month of twelve.  The Traditional Block this month is Snail’s Trail (below left).  My modern version is below rightWonky Snail's Trail Cubed.  This was a really fun block to design.  I love the 3D effect!  Please vote for my block! Last month I won by only 4 votes, so every vote counts!  To vote and/or share go to  this link: http://a.pgtb.me/MfCtTr/h5Cj1?w=36927840&e=9986782

Traditional Snail's Trail block

Traditional Snail’s Trail block