Blogger"s Quilt Festival - Chasing Rainbows

I entered my quilt in the "Wall Hanging" category. 

                                                                Blogger's Quilt Festival

 Please check out the Blogger's Quilt Festival! Several different categories
and all the quilts are wonderful!


I started this quilt back in February, 2009 and just finished quilting it just recently.
(Sometimes life gets in the way)  I blogged about it here:
http://uniquelyyourscreations.blogspot.com/2009/02/improvisional-quilts-2.html


I was so inspired by a book that I was reading "The Quilts of Gee's Bend"
that I decided to experiment with 2 bundles of colored fat quarter fabrics.
I used no pattern; it was totally improvised.



I was also inspired by  a book
on my library shelf by Jenny Beyer - Quiltmaking by Hand.
On pg. 7 Jenny says "...generations of quilters made do with minimal supplies ... All it took was a needle and thread, a thimble, a pair of sharp scissor, cardboard..." - And this is all
that I used.

That's how my Chasing Rainbows quilt came into being.
Although it looks like a modern quilt - it has it's roots in traditional quilting.

I  wanted to add a piano like border - those were cut with the rotary cutter BUT they were all hand sewn also - 1 1/2" x 5" abt. 166 pieces! And thought "I must be nuts!"

I  used various colors and different weights of threads - thinking that it would give the quilt a nice textured look. 
I used DMC #8, Perle Cotton #8 by
Thread Art (on-line)and Superior Threads,
Hand Quilting Thread.
100 % cotton warm and natural batting
100 % cotton fabrics

I Blended Big stitch quilting along with traditional quilting(small stitch);
I created a maze with stitches. They are not meant to be perfect as the blocks are not.

I titled it "Chasing Rainbows" because it just reminds me of one with all of it's bright colors. I think that it's a very happy looking quilt; and I'm very satisfied about the way it turned out.

And so after all of this work; I didn't
want it to be a throw quilt and decided
to add sleeves to the back and make
it into a wall hanging.

I added the lower pocket so that the quilt will lay flat and straight across.
You can use a yard stick or same size piece of light wood.

I hope that this quilt and my story
will inspire and encourage many quilters
to try hand piecing or even better
hand quilting. 

With everything computerized in today's
world - take the time to do some "slow"
quilting - it's creative - it's 
meditative - and it's relaxing! And 
don't worry about the size of your
stitches - Just have fun!


Enjoy the Quilt Festival!

Happy Quilting!

Star Wars!

My daughter sends me all of this 

fabric

 And more!

She bought it at the Fat Quarter shop and had

it mailed to my house. 

"I would like R2D2 to be the main character."

I found a pattern on the web that said "free"

but it wasn't a quilt pattern block it was for

beading. So I thought that I could translate

that into a quilting block.

I printed it out and went to work and work and work.

I decided to use 1" squares and there is over 500

of them! But it was a challenge and so far so good.

R2D2 is going to be the center block - he's is

about 24" x 24". Then to decide what to do with

the rest.... hmmm. 

Have a great week and

May the Force Be with You!

Autumn

Lady Autumn, Queen of the Harvest,
I have seen You in the setting Sun
with Your long auburn tresses...
You sit upon Your throne and watch
the dying fires of the setting Sun
shine forth its final colors in the sky...
Lady Autumn, You are here at last...
~Deirdre Akins

I love autumn, love the colors, and
the smells.

And so gathering up some of my hand
dyed fabrics; I decided to make something
to celebrate autumn.

A skinny table runner - 10" x 36" I love the colors!

There's some of my sun prints in there and
I use decorative stitches to frame it.

I tried for the very first time "wrap around binding"

I found a great tutorial here: http://www.maubys.net/2011/07/maubys-binding-series-part-six-wrap.html

at Maubys.net.  I found that the corners can be

very tricky.

And here's the back - I'm really loving these colors!

So much so that I decided to make some fabric

coasters!

 And quilted them with a modern flair!

Also made with my hand dyed fabrics.

 Here's the complete set - so bright and cheery!

My color inspiration ---

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus