Contemplation

Contemplation ---- The action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time.

It seems that is what my husband is doing in this photo. 

When we visited my daughter and her family this year, we had some photos taken by a photographer (Joeri Cochuyt) while we were having lunch and playing games with our grandchildren. The photographer captured a great one of my husband and several of all of us, but this one was exceptional.

I decided to create a silhouette quilt of my husband for the last Project Quilting challenge for Season 8.

I combined Dye Candy Fabrics and Cherrywood Fabrics to construct the quilt. 

I used my Textures Quilt Pattern to create the texture background.

I also created this quilt as a "practice quilt" for the Vincent Van Gogh Cherrywood Quilt Challenge for 2017. I will be making that in April. I plan to make a very similar quilt for that challenge, but it needs to be 20" by 20".

My Contemplation Quilt measures 17" by 17".

I took photos of all the steps - of course.

Photo credit:  Joeri Cochuyt 

I printed out the photo in draft and black and white to make a template for the silhouette. I used Lite Heat and Bond to adhere it to the black fabric for the silhouette. 

My Textures Quilt Pattern was the perfect choice for creating texture with the blue fabrics for the background of my quilt. I made my pieces smaller in scale than the pattern instructions. 

I used two layers of black 80/20 batting.

I quilted with overlapping tiny circles for the silhouette to give it a solid texture quilting using black thread on the black fabric.

And wavy lines that intersect at the corners for the outside borders.

I quilted wavy and swirly lines with a blue quilting thread on the background to give it a Van Gogh look like in the painting Starry Night.

Yes, I always stitch my name into my quilts with the year.

Here's a photo of the backside.

Through Project Quilting, I tend to challenge myself beyond the challenge.  Each time, I have tried a new technique or new way to do something. This year, I made a quilt using my daughter's very basic Ikea sewing machine with no sewing supplies to speak of! 

I found this quote by Vincent Van Gogh. I think it fits perfectly!

I am linking up to Project Quilting at Persimon Dreams.

See the previous post about an extra prize, if you create a quilt for this challenge and you are NEW to Project Quilting.

Thanks for following along.

Marcia

Amazing Photographer:  Joeri Cochuyt

Quilt Pattern for the background: Textures Quilt Pattern

A Layered Snowball --- Photo Tutorial

Here's how I made my Layered Snowball Quilt. This is just to give you a general idea of how I made my layered snowball. No exact measurements. 

See the finished photos in the next post.

Start with any size square and any size of the 4 triangles to make it uneven.

After I stitched and pressed the corners, I cut away the extra fabric away to reduce the bulk.

Then stitched on 4 strips - any size.

Square up uneven before adding the next corners.

Cutting the excess from behind the corners.

Here's a couple photos of "Squaring it up uneven".

Then I stitched on strips of the lite blue batik, but forgot to take a photo.

Cherrywood Blue fabric again - corners and strips.

Then the black corners, but no black strips, as it is as large as I wanted it. 20 3/4"  X  20 3/4". That way after it is quilted it will measure  20"  X   20"  square.

See photos of the finished quilt in the next post.

This is a 20" X 20" challenge quilt created for the Focus Through the Prism Challenge. This is the 7th one of 7. We were to be inspired by the Snowball Quilt Block.

Enjoy!
Marcia

Four of the Seven Quilt Challenges Completed!

I thought it would be fun to take a photo of all four quilts together. It was a gloomy day, yesterday, which makes it a perfect day to take photos of the quilts outside.

I am pleased with all four of my Challenge Quilts for the Focus Through the Prism Series of Project Quilting.  I really enjoyed each quilt challenge and I am looking forward to the three remaining challenges.

I thought they would all fit on the picnic table, but that is OK as I liked the look of them overlapping.

I took an up close of the four of them intersecting, so you can see the quilting on each one.

I flipped them over to the backsides.

In May, the Quilt Challenge was to be inspired by the Monkey Wrench Quilt Block. I selected green from the Cherrywood bundle of hand dyed fabrics.  Click here to see my post about my "Missing Monkey Wrenches Quilt".  I created a Tic Tac Toe Monkey Wrench Quilt Block.

The Friendship Star was the Quilt Block for June.  I had fun with the quilting on this one, trying to create the look of  crocheted chains running through the quilt, connecting the friendship stars.  Click here for the posts about my "Friendship Chains Quilt".

I decided in July, that it was time for me to use one of BLUES - My favorite color!  Log Cabin was the Quilt Block.  I added black strips in between each strip of my half log cabin quilt block and then had a blast with the quilting.  I named it Bubbling Blues! Click here for the posts about this quilt.

This month August, I selected orange.  We were to be inspired by the Pinwheel Quilt Block.

I had an incredible time "Thread Painting" with my quilting on the flowers using 4 different quilt thread colors.  I shared all the steps, as I added each color, to create the flowers for the background of my pinwheel quilt.  I asked for name suggestions and ended up with "Grandmama's Sunrise Windmolen"  ---- I think it really shows you the excitement and passion I have for my quilting.  It's not just a job --- I LOVE quilting! Click here for the post about this quilt.

I used my Instagram App to make this next photo. You can see them all at once and the whole quilt.

I can't wait for the next three Focus Through the Prism Project Quilting Challenges for September, October, and November.

I have three of the Cherrywood fabric colors left to use.

Yellow and Purple and Indigo Blue

I wonder what Quilt Block will be next.  The next Quilt Challenge starts September 1st.

Thanks for following along on my blog, as I post about all the quilt and quilt related things I do.

I have started sharing photos on Instagram too.  See the link in my sidebar for all the places I share.

Click here to find out about the Focus Through the Prism Series for Project Quilting.

Enjoy your day!

Marcia