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!