My Journey--QUILT #6

 Another quilt from the Special Exhibit My Joyful Journey, part of the Virtual Quilt Festival, December 3-5, 2020.

QUILT #6 If It's Purple...94" x 94", hand applique', machine pieced, hand quilted, 1995

The Story: Block patterns were from my guild as Block of the Month patterns. This began my love of Feathered Star Medallion quilts and pairing applique' blocks with pieced blocks. From the beginning, it was intended as a wedding quilt for the first of my sons to marry. In 2012 it was presented to Andrew Wilkins and his bride Lauren Santoro. 

Beautifully hand quilted by my friend. This quilt won Best of Show in the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville show, Fanfare 1995 and was included in the Special Exhibit "Traditional Treasures", Houston 2013: 

Let's quilt. 

Barbara

Show News!

Just got word that two of my quilts will make their big debut at the AQS show in Phoenix, February 2014.  I'm excited and pleased.  If you're at the Phoenix show, I'd love a photo or two.

A-Round with My Friends--worked on this for 7 years.  Hand applique'd and hand quilted
2011 Best of Show at my guild

Red and White--By the Numbers
2013 Best of Show at my guild



Details of the magnificent quilting by Pam Dransfeldt



Pam's Website--see more of her work here.  She is Joyful Quilter on Facebook--that's how I found her 5 years ago.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

 

 

 

Starstruck Block Lottery

My guild is starting a new project this month, using this simple block. 

To participate, we make at least one or more of these great little floating stars, in that months' designated color.  The first block made is donated to our Comfy Quilt program, and will be used to make quilts donated to children and adults in need.  Any additional blocks we make go into a lottery and someone gets to take them home for their own use.

The blocks are currently about 9" and can easily be cut down to a smaller size--very important in group swap projects!

This month the colors are your choice--Auburn or Alabama team colors--the Iron Bowl is a big football rivalry here in Alabama so we're going to see if the group that makes the most blocks predicts the winner of the BIG game.

I had a wonderful time at our guild quilt show this past weekend--winning Best of Show was a thrill!  See my post here to see what I wrote about that.  Now it's back to reality so:

Let's Quilt!

And check out Judy L's blog to see what others are doing.

Barbara

Best of Show Makes My Day!

"Our guild has its' bi-annual quilt show this weekend, October 11-13, 2013.  Our members are a very talented bunch and our show is a beautiful, exciting, and eclectic display of textile art/quilts.  I am thrilled to have received the Best of Show Award for my quilt, Red and White, By The Numbers:

 Inspired by the 2011 NYC exhibit “Infinite Variety”, these blocks were free patterns from 2 websites in 2012.  There are 2770 pieces and 59 different fabrics. 

It was quilted spectacularly by Pamela Joy Dransfeldt, the Joyful Quilter, from Camarillo, CA.  Here are a few detail shots:

On the Frame

So this weekend I get to enjoy this experience, do the happy dance, then it's back to normal on Monday. 

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Round Robin #1

Here is the first round of the Paducah Round Robin 2013 I am doing with 2 quilting friends.

The center applique' block was done by Ellen, who loves to applique', and I added this first set of pieced borders.  It is currently 24" square.  It now goes on to the 3rd friend who can do what she wishes to it. 

Lesson learned:  be sure to check the measurements AND quilt block carefully before proceeding.  I did all the math figuring to trim the applique' block to 18.5".  I actually did carefully trim the block to 18.5".  Then I made all the borders.  As I went to add the first burgundy inner border I discovered there was still .5" of selvedge showing on the block.  Oh, my, back to the drawing board! 

SO, I changed the block to 17" finished, trimmed it carefully again, to 17.5", recut the inner borders which now had to be wider, and put the smaller burgundy border on the outside.  It worked out fine and Sharon, the next person, can make units that finish at 2", 3", or 4" or add another floater border if she needs to. 

While working on this I decided what my own center block will be:  a Feathered Star!  Surprise!  I'm still in my "feathered star" phase, apparently.  And I need a sample for a class I am teaching in October so it's the perfect time to get the pieces cut and use my block for class demo. 

This kind of project is how the 3 of us celebrate/remember our road trips--we went to Paducah this spring and bought our fabrics on that trip.  Each of us bought 2 fat quarters for each other once we saw the colors/fabrics each wanted to use.  There are no rules beyond that--do what you want when it comes to you.  And we do have to use the fabrics that were purchased but can add to those if necessary.  I added one green this round.  Don't know if I'll get this one back for another go--we don't usually get them back.  We're pretty fluid about the rules...

Here is one of our earlier Round Robins--mine. 

I bought 3 different fabrics on a cruise/tour of Alaska in 2004 and gave 2 of them to these friends as a group "challenge".  I was thrilled with how it looked when I got it back and decided it needed to be larger so I added the large applique' border and put lots of hand quilting into it.  It took seven years to complete but it was worth it!  It won Best of Show at our guild show in 2011 and has been selected to appear in a new book, 500 Traditional Quilts, due out in 2014.  You never now what a little challenge might bring!

 

Be sure to check out Judy L's Blog, Design Wall Monday to see what others are doing.

 

Let's quilt!

 

Barbara