Challenge Quilt

The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild 2014 Exhibit is over and the quilts are all back in the hands of their makers.  The Challenge Category for this year's show was "4 Elements".  We were challenged to make a quilt, no more than 36" on any side, that depicted our interpretation of any or all of the four elements.

Earth, Wind, Fire, Water.

I chose to do four bands of mosaic squares, each surrounded by solid white, with solid black binding.  Each band is made up of 85 different colored 1 inch squares, with no duplicates.  I was amazed that I could come up with 340 different fabrics, all from my stash!

I free-motion quilted each band with a grid-based filler design that further emphasized the element it represents.

Earth

Water

Wind

Fire

Now the question is...  do I keep it?  Or list it for sale in my Etsy Shop?

By the way, the exhibit was wonderful!  If you saw it in person, great!  If not, and you'd like to see the quilts, I've been told that there will be a slide show on the guild's web site soon.  I'll post a link as soon as it's up.

Cheers!

Quilting Retreat

I finished two quilt tops at retreat this week.  I think I need to go more often!

Cheers!

Featherweight Tote from Selvages

Earlier this year, I made a tote bag to carry the extension table for my Singer Featherweight 221, using selvages to make the fabric.  If you missed that post, you can link back here.

Ever since then, I've planned to make a matching tote bag for the Featherweight too.  You see, I just don't quite trust the carry handle on the top of the case.  It's probably fine, but I'm always worried it will break as I'm carrying it, and I certainly don't want to drop the machine!

So I made this little tote bag, and purposely made it so it doesn't cover the hinges or latches, so that it can stay on the machine case at all times.  The webbing straps go all the way under the case in one long continuous piece, so the straps are actually whats carrying the load, not the fabric.

I used the same technique that I used for the extension table bag, selvages stitched to a foundation of duck cloth and fusible fleece.

Here is the extension table bag...

Now I have a matched set, and just in time - because next week is Quilter's Retreat!!!

Cheers!

Braid Quilt Update

The Friendship Braid quilt is all pieced and ready to deliver to the longarm quilter.  I love how this quilt has turned out and can't wait to share it with you after it's quilted!  It's such a happy, colorful quilt.  I put a narrow blue border around the outside edge, mainly to stabilize all those bias edges, but like the look as well.  It frames the braids nicely.

 My client selected this bright golden yellow polka dot fabric for the back.

Then, as an afterthought, she asked me if I could do two quilted pillow shams to go with her new bed quilt.  Lucky, because I had just enough leftover pieces to do just that!

I quilted these myself, with four rows of zig zag stitching down the center of each braid, then stitched some straight rows in the blue background fabric.

Cheers!