The Modern Quilt Guild Challenge

I just added a Button on the sidebar over there >>>>> for The Modern Quilt Guild Challenge.   For a long time I have had an Art Quilter inside of me trying to get out.  My Son the Artist (that would be Aaron) has been telling me for ages, "You can do this, Mom."   Basically, though, I am not a very brave person (THAT is an understatement!) so I have all of these art quilts bouncing around in my head making me crazy, and I need to get them out of there and into fabric.

I was browsing other quilt blogs this morning and came across this post at SewJournal.      PROJECT MODERN may be exactly what I need to encourage me to play a little with my quilty ideas and get something fun made.   It's a series of four quilt challenges running from September 2010 to September 2011.  The first challenge will be announced on September 1st.  I am committing to at least trying to make something for the first challenge. (((gulp!!)))

I've only done a few art quilts in the past, and they weren't usually from my own ideas.  The first one, Eye-Boy, is copied from Aaron's artwork.  I enlarged one of his drawings then hand-appliqued and hand-quilted it.  I entered it into a local quilt show, and one of the judges said it was "too cryptic" and would look better on its side.   I guess she didn't see the face.  Oh well, judges.......

Here's a close-up of the hand work.

The second one, Black and White Abstract, is from one of Aaron's doodles that I enlarged then hand-appliqued and hand-quilted.  In this case, I actually put it on its side by mistake.  I think I disappointed Aaron when I didn't see that it was a dragon's mouth, but it's already hanging in my house so I guess I didn't see the face this time!   I must not have the artist's eye that I thought I had.

Nightmare on Quilty Lane was for a Keepsake Quilting Halloween Challenge.  I was required to use the fabrics they selected and added the gray and the black.  I didn't even receive judges' comments on this one.  It looks nice in my sewing room, though.  And I really like my tree!

 

I have lots of photos and ideas and sketches in my "inspiration" file.  I've bought fabric paints, embellishments, beads and all kinds of specialty threads.  So, I am throwing down the gauntlet for myself.  No more excuses.  The Challenge is on!

Gavin's Knights and Castles Quilt

Little boys.  Ya gotta love 'em!   Gavin got his last quilt from Gramma in 2006.  After that, every time I made a new quilt for someone else he claimed that it was "his turn" again.  When I asked him what color he wanted for his next quilt he said, "I don't care, Gramma.  I love ALL your quilts!"   Awwwww.  Do you think he knows how to play me, or what?  

Last summer it really was his turn again so I asked what kind of quilt he would like.  He was huge into a Medieval phase so he decided he wanted something with knights.  I found some great prints by Timeless Treasures and with no plan in mind I bought some ---- a lot.

I normally don't like working with panels, but these knights were so cool, and since I didn't know what I was doing with them anyway, I bought some. 

I cut the panel into squares and started planning.

Now, I have to tell you that the Electric Quilt program for planning and designing quilts is very, very cool.  Hubby bought it for me years and years ago.  Even though I have upgraded twice to newer versions, and talked him into getting me a laptop so I could take an EQ class, and then have taken a couple of classes I still plan my quilts this way.............

Yah.  I know. 

But, even though I designed it my own way, it turned out great, and I just love the backing fabric.

My friend Angela at QuiltedJoy.com did a beautiful job quilting it for me.  (I decided Gavin had been waiting long enough, so I didn't want to take the time to quilt it myself.) She used a pattern called "Funky Fleur de Lis" and blogged about it here.

I mailed the quilt to Gavin last week, so I don't have a photo of him with it..........yet.  Here's a picture of him without the quilt.  (Gotta show off the grands whenever you can, right?)

Oh, and one more thing.  Gavin has since moved out of his Medieval phase and into his Greek Mythology phase.  But, I'm not worried about that.  He loves ALL my quilts!

Aaron and Leah's Blooming Nine Patch

I used to be the kind of quilter who signed up for every workshop my quilt guild offered, started the project being taught at each retreat I went to, got involved in every block swap my online quilt group dreamed up, and joined in every round robin that came along.  Uh huh......some of you know exactly what I am talking about.  And that's how you end up with all those UFO's!  


So, naturally in 2002 when the Blooming Nine Patch was going to be taught at my guild retreat, I just had to make one.  I asked Aaron and Leah, who were "just friends" and both art majors, to help me select the fabrics. We had a blast at the quilt shop and these are the fabrics we came home with ......

One of the tools we used to organize our fabrics at retreat was this sheet .....  

Even though this quilt is partially strip-pieced it's difficult to keep all the pieces lined up and in the right order.  Then, as you can see, I added several rows because I wanted it to end up a King size.  

Once it was coming together into a completed top, it was obvious that it wasn't going to look really finished unless it had a darker final border so I added even more rows, this fabric.....










.....and a black Moda Marble. 

NOW it looks finished.  And it's a mere 110" by 120"  

It IS pretty, though, isn't it?

Aaron and Leah are still friends, AND they just celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary.  They had actually forgotten all about this quilt.  Not me!  It's the oldest thing on my UFO list!  

Since it's another humongous quilt (I've made a few of those!) I thought I would have it machine quilted by a professional.  Well, my son and daughter-in-law are kind of sentimental and romantic.  They want ME to quilt it.  Awwww!  Aren't they cute?

Because it's way too big for me to machine quilt, that means hand-quilting.

Of the 1,010 blocks I have 37 quilted so far.  I just might be able to get it done in time for their 10th anniversary!

 

Ashley's Quilt

I really believe that each quilt I make is special, but every once in a while I am involved in the creation of a quilt that is incredibly so.  Such is the case with Ashley's Quilt. 
When my brother lost his wife in 1999 he gave me all of her sewing things.  Among them was an embroidered quilt top.  You know the kind -- big flowers splashed across a very thin white top with little blue dots for quilting lines.

I didn't know it at the time, but not only had my sister-in-law Debbie worked on this embroidered top, my brother Ronnie had, too, along with their children, Jason and Cathy.   Cathy was no longer living at the time Ashley was born in 1983, so two of the four people who worked on this project were already gone.
  
I decided to somehow figure out a way to cut up this top and make two quilts from it -- one for Ashley since she was getting married soon, and one for her older brother, Jason.  (You know I love a challenge.)


Even though I only had a very rough plan in mind, I went to work cutting up the original top into pieces I thought I could work with.  Then I got input from a lot of quilty friends.  (Always a good idea!)

This project had its obstacles.  The fabric in the original top was so thin I could actually read through it, so it had to be lined.  Then I faced design issues because I wanted to have enough of the original left for a second quilt.  And last, you cannot just cut through embroidery.  The thread has to be picked out, threaded through a needle and knotted.  Ahhh, but it was worth it.

Ashley was married a few months ago, so I went by her house last week to present her with her gift. 

I think 

she likes it.

So now all I have left of the original quilt top is a stack of 9" squares from which I hope to create a second quilt that is every bit as special.  

Nothing like committing myself to another big project, is there?

Retreat Report -- Part 3 -- Works in Progress

There was a whole lot of creating goin' on!  I am friends with some very talented gals.  The projects they brought to Retreat to work on or share with us were gorgeous.  And several really beautiful quilt tops were actually started and completed during our short time together.


Faye showed us
her Cafe Au Lait blocks.

Jan worked on her 

Jan Krentz Lone Star.

Rita put together this cute baby quilt.

Bert finished on her Chocolate Stars.

Mary got a cute Halloween 
quilt top assembled.

Julie completed
this quilt top.... 

Retreat Report -- Part 2

I had so much fun playing "Secret Quilter" for Cat at retreat.  The most difficult part was sneaking gifts to her sewing area without getting caught.  Once, when everyone from her table was off shopping at a local Quilt Shop, I slipped a gift under a newspaper next to her sewing machine.  When she got back, I watched.  And I watched.  And then when she picked up the newspaper and stood there reading it, I watched some more.  She finally found the gift, an apron I had made for her, and for the rest of the 5 day retreat I don't think she took it off!  

The pocket on the apron came in handy.  After one of our meals in the dining area at the retreat center, we left a tip for her on our table so she picked it up and stuffed it in there!

I bought her some really pretty batiks in her favorite fall colors and folded them into what I hoped would pass for a bouquet.  Then I received my own surprise birthday bouquet from my son and his family.  Cat didn't know I was her "Secret Quilter" yet, but I asked her to pose with me for a picture since our bouquets were almost identical.  (I'm right...... Right??)

The person who had my name did a fantastic job of surprising me.  It seemed like every time I left my sewing machine, I came back to find a gift there.  And there was no lack of chocolate!   I never did figure out who it was.  Rilla is the BEST "Secret Quilter" EVER!!!!  

Although, now that I think about it, I should have known it was Rilla when I received the very first gift........