Tag Archives: challenge

• 12 Comments

•

For the past two years I've shared my five favorite finishes of the year. Here are my favorites from 2019. In no particular order...

 

Modern Antique Tiles

I enjoyed designing this piece for my Island Batik challenge for the Vintage Reimagined prompt. I used the extending lines concept from Sylvia Schaefer's book, The Quilter's Negative Space Handbook. Read more.

 

Enjoy Mini Mini

This mini mini quilt ties my smallest quilt ever made, measuring just 2 1/4" x 9". It was created in response to the Project QUILTING 10.5 challenge: Abecedarius. I enjoyed (ha, see what I did there?) making the improv letters for my project. I haven't gotten back to this technique, but will use it again in future projects. Read more.

 

Wholecloth

In this Aurifil Artisan challenge we were asked to use at least three different weights of thread in a whole cloth mini quilt. I used a variety of free motion motifs on this piece. Monochromatic quilting on a solid wholecloth quilt is all about texture! Read more.

 

Two Red, White, & Blue Minis in One Week

This is a bit of a cheat since it's two quilts (and I didn't make one of them), but looking back over the year, one of my favorite quilting projects was the week both my daughter and I finished a quilt for the Project QUILTING Red, White & Blue challenge. I love that my kids enjoy sewing and quilting. Read more about mine. Read more about hers.

 

Tula Pink Dress

I really enjoyed making clothes for my kids when they were younger... for some reason that came to an end (or a pause). But we pass along the clothes they outgrow to my sister for her kids (who are 3 1/2 and 1). I've really enjoyed seeing my nephew J wear the clothes I made for G when he was that age. And J loves them! And it has inspired me to sew up some new clothes. I have some new pants in the works for J, but I couldn't resist pulling together some of my favorite Tula Pink fabrics to make a dress for my niece who has just started walking. Read more.

 

FYI, Project QUILTING challenges for the 2020 season start on January 5th with Kim Lapacek at Persimon Dreams. There are a series of six one-week quilt challenges running January through March. (We get a week off between challenges.) Check it out. Join us. It's a great community of makers creating a wide variety of work from each prompt. And there are prizes.

I'm linking up to Cheryl's Best of 2019 Linky Party. And you can see my Five Favorite Finishes from 2018 and 2017. Stay up to date with what I make in 2019 by subscribing to my newsletter.

• 2 Comments

•

Earlier this week, I ran across a contest hosted by Rachel at Stitched in Color. She is hosting a fabric mosaic contest. I've admired these in the past, but I think this is the first  time I'm participating. Rachel has given us a theme and some inspirational photographs to get us started and we create fabric bundles from the fabrics at Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory. The fabric pull is one of my favorite parts quilting, so this is lots of fun!

The theme this time was Toasty Teal.

For my first bundle, the Bejeweled Seal at the upper left caught my eye and then I focused in on the center print, Into the Deep. Jellies like warm water, so it seemed to fit the Toasty Teal theme for me. Teal, lime, and navy is my favorite palette, so I started with that and added a pop of some bright colors with the Diamond Mine print on the center left.

Here is my Tropical Ocean Teal palette.

 

I actually toned down the bright in that first one, but I still wanted a palette that felt a little more rich. For this second palette I focused on teals and browns with metallic gold. I love those hexagons!

Here is my Metallic Teal and Brown palette.

 

Which of my palettes is your favorite? What color do you like to pair with teal?

Head over to Stitched in Color to see all the palettes that have been created for the contest. Starting Monday the 11th, voting will be open to pick your favorite on Rachel's blog.

SaveSave

SaveSave

• 12 Comments

•

I don't remember how I first ran across this, but I thought it was so neat that NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg did some quilting in space! A challenge was created for quilters to submit their own star blocks to be combined with hers to create a quilt that will be displayed at the 2014 International Quilt Festival in Houston. I like a challenge. The Astronomical Quilts! Block Challenge went on my to do list. The challenge was to create a star-themed 9.5" unfinished block.

Wonky Star Astronomical Quilt Block

I like a deadline, because I'm a procrastinator. If I could have found that August 1st was a postmark deadline, I'd still be procrastinating. But last night I did the math and decided I needed to get that block sent off priority mail today to make sure it arrives by the 1st. So today while The Boy was at Summer Camp and The Girl amused herself, I cranked out a block to submit.

A couple weeks ago, I saw Terri Faust's post about her Astronomical Block. It's beautiful! And her lovely background fabric inspired me... it reminded me of a fabric from my stash. Then today when I pre-washed my fabric I made my friend Amber decide what my second fabric should be. Yay! The hard decisions were made! I knew I didn't have time for anything too intricate, so I decided on a wonky star block. Once the fabrics were chosen, washed and ironed, it took me about a half hour to cut and piece the block. It was my first wonky star block and I really liked the process.

I cut all my pieces. Nine 3.5" squares of the background (one unused) and five 3.5" squares of the star fabric, 4 of which were cut into HSTs.
I cut all my pieces: nine 3.5" squares of the background (one unused) and five 3.5" squares of the star fabric, 4 of which were cut into HSTs.
Decided on angles to attach blocks... stitch 1/4" from triangle edge.
Decided on random angles to attach blocks... stitched 1/4" from triangle edge.
Trim square to 1/4" seam allowance after sewing.
Trimmed background to 1/4" seam allowance after sewing.
Press the seams open.
Pressed the seams open.
Square up the blocks.
Squared up the blocks.
Add the second set of wonky points.
Added the second set of wonky points.
Press them open again after sewing and trimming.
Press them open again after sewing, then trim.
Then decide on a layout before piecing the 9-patch together.
Then decided on a layout before piecing the 9-patch together.

I'm very happy with how it came out. I might have been more sad to mail it away just three hours after finishing it if I didn't have 2-3 yards of each of these fabrics left in my stash. I think a new project is making it's way into my queue.

Update: See my lap quilt, Stellar Wind, that was inspired by this block.

I'm linking up on Freemotion by the River and Sew Fresh Quilts.