Wednesday, September 30, 2015

"Going Their Own Way"

Yes, my geese are not flying in any order.  They are flying their own way.  That's why I named it "Going Their Own Way".


I made the flying geese quilt blocks uneven, using the pattern from Kim of the Drunken Flying Geese from the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along.

I created this somewhat similar to each 20" x 20" quilt that I have created for the Series Focus Through the Prism. What I mean by similar,is that my plan was to always use black with the color and to create a distorted version of the quilt block or at least an uneven balance to the quilt block.


I selected the yellow hand dyed fabric from Cherrywood Fabrics for this quilt challenge and then added the yellow print and then the black fabric to really make the yellows pop!





I used some of the cutaways from the corners to create a couple tiny geese. I assembled them in uneven rows.


I selected Gun Metal Grey and Canary Yellow for the quilting threads.  I used two layers of batting.  I layered them with 80/20 batting on the bottom and poly on the top.


I decided to quilt it with a small meandering for the background. It filled the space very nicely.


I quilted in Marcia and 2015.


I love the wiggle line quilting on the geese.


And the wiggle lines around the outside of the each goose.


Here's a full view.


And the backside.






On September 15th, I presented my quilts at a Trunk Show in Viroqua, Wisconsin.  I proudly shared my quilt even though I had not completed the binding.


I proudly shared all five of them!  I love how they look together.


I am linking it up over at Kim's Persimon Dreams Blog for Project Quilting's Focus Through the Prism Quilt Challenge Series. Hop over and check out all the quilts.

If you have not seen all of the posts about my Project Quilting Quilts. The links are in my sidebar. If you are viewing this on a phone, you can go to the bottom and view it as a Web version and get to all the links in the sidebar.

Thanks for following along!

Marcia

Saturday, September 12, 2015

2015 Donation Quilt for Rainbow Hospice

Every year since 1997, my Mom and I have been making donation quilts.  The first several years, we made them for Relay for Life and then we started making them for the Rainbow Hospice of Jefferson County. 



It will be on display at the Fireside in Fort Atkinson, starting the week of November 23rd for several months, as they sell raffle tickets on it.  It will be in a window display in the hallway of the theater. You can purchase raffle tickets to win the quilt at the ticket window. Just ring the bell.



I will be showing the Tulip Quilt at my Quilt Trunk Show on Tuesday night (September 15th) in Viroqua, Wisconsin.

The Quilt Trunk Show is for the Vernon County Piecemakers Quilters Guild. Everyone is invited to the September 15th "kick-off" Meeting. They will be inviting new members to join that night, so there may be as many as fifty to seventy-five quilters.  They meet at the Viroqua Area Medical Office Building on 507 S. Main Street in Viroqua in the lower level community rooms. The meeting starts at 6pm.

I will be sharing not only my Tulip Quilt, but a variety of quilts including table runners and toppers, place mats, wall hangings and quilted bags and pocket purses. I will be bringing along my original quilt patterns and showing many examples of my quilt patterns. Plus I will be talking about Long Arm Quilting as that is what I do.

I have 6 suitcases full of quilts to share!



My Mom and I each year select fabric and a pattern for our donation quilt.  This year, we selected solid colors with a solid black for the background.

I rolled it on my quilting machine.



I wanted to have some fun with some whimsical quilting in the tulip blocks. Loops in the border and swirls in the outside border.  It looked so plain.  It needed some bounce!



I selected "Power Purple" for the quilting thread.

I stitched in our names in the bottom right hand corner.



Made with Love by Joanne and Marcia 2015

And then the binding.



Here are a few up close of my quilting.





Remember I take the photos so you can see my quilting.  In "real life" it doesn't stand out as much. 







Here's the backside.







First, I folded it to put in the suitcase and then I decided to roll it. 

After I show it on Tuesday night, I will be taking it to Fort Atkinson to the Fireside.  I plan to take a photo of my Mom and I with the quilt, before I present it to the Fireside for the Raffle to raise money for the Rainbow Hospice of Jefferson County.





My Mom and I enjoy making the donation quilt each year. Some years, we make them together and some years we don't. Click here to see a post from 2012 when were making our green donation quilt --- my Mom and me sewing together. 



Click here to see a post about when I started the Tulip Quilt and my inspiration for the quilt. 


This is the book with the quilt pattern is Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.



Other information about our Tulip Quilt:

All 100% cotton fabrics

Hobbs 80/20 Black Batting

Free Style (free motion) Quilting by me

All Machine Embroidery Stitched Binding

Quilt is displayed on a King size bed. Photos taken with natural lighting.  

The quilt measures 62" X 87"

Machine washable and dryable


Enjoy your day!

Marcia

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Sewing with Scraps from the Focus Through the Prism Challenge Quilts

I want to make a Scrappy Quilt using all the Cherrywood Fabrics and the print fabrics from each of the 7 Focus Through the Prism Project Quilting Challenges.


Click here for a post about my first 4 challenge quilts.

I saved all the leftover scraps from each month in a gallon ziplock bag and labeled them. I saved the print fabrics with it as I had more of those fabrics.


It's a perfect sewing project for working on at the River.  I have limited space at our camper, so I try to cut out as much as I can, before the weekend.  That way, I can just sew and sew and sew!

Here's a photo, of my little corner in our camper, where I sew.  I had two helpers this past weekend, our dog, Toby and my grand dogger, Rogue.


I had more scraps left of the blue fabrics as I only used a couple strips in my log cabin quilt. I have lots of prints in the blues too!


I used alot of the red, but I had more print fabric left of that.


First, I made some mini quilt blocks using the scraps as I had pieces already made of some of the blocks. I love them!


Then I started sewing all the scraps into tiny 4 patch blocks.  I used 2 inch squares and smaller ones to form the 4 patches. Whatever size scraps I had, I stitched them together to make 2 inch squares, so I can use it to make more 4 patch blocks.








I shared this photo on instagram of sewing all 4 fabric colors at our camper (at the River). 


Here's some of the green 4 patches.


When I got home I spread out my portable design wall, (an old chenille bedspread on my living room floor).


Then I took out the mini quilt blocks.


I think it needs more black squares.  I want the mini block in my scrappy quilt, but I like the look of this too.

After I picked it all up I came up with a better idea and I drew it out on paper. I LOVE this idea!


And I wrote on the top that it is Like a Rainbow --- Yes !  I already have the name (by accident). I have 3 Cherrywood fabrics left to use for the next 3 challenges. The September Challenge has already been released!  We are to be inspired by the flying geese block. 

I have some ideas in my head. I think I am going to use the yellow and save the purple for the October Challenge and my favorite color blue (Indigo) for the November Challenge as November is my birthday month.


Thanks for following along as I create with fabrics and quilt and quilt and quilt.

Enjoy your day!

Marcia