Project Quilting - the Final Challenge

I have been playing along a bit in some of Kim's Project Quilting challenges and decided to try the final challenge ... we had to use a large print and a stripe or plaid!

I decided to take inspiration from some of the gorgeous modern quilting photos I have seen on flickr and other quilting blogs and decided to use some of my favorite martha Negley geranium print with kona white cotton. As some of you may know I am new to the quilting world and each foray into quilting teaches me something new!



I originally thought I would create a series of 12" blocks for a table runner... made my first, made my second...laid them next to each other - didn't like the proportions so I sliced one of them in half - or thereabouts, and attached it to the first block!


see..I had just learned something - you don't HAVE to create a quilt in a series of blocks - mine became much more free form .. I sliced and chopped and added new bits and bobs as I went along.


For the stripe requirement, I cut a stripe fabric along the bias to make my quilt binding and I also quilted it using a series of linear lines that created a striped effect on the tablerunner.



more pics can be seen on flickr

and stop by Kim's Blog to see all the entries and cast your vote for your favorite!

Will work for Fabric...

you know those signs you sometimes see people standing at the edge of the road holding...



I think mine should say... "Will Work For Fabric"...because I have been known to do this in the past!



Last year I swapped my labor for the giant roll of batting you see in the photo above. I did some sewing for Roc-Lon Industries for quilt market & in return I got the batting...only problem was, I didn't quilt!

I have long drooled over the new movement in quilting - modern colors, traditional patterns approached in non-traditional ways, the use of solid colors to complement the prints and decided just before christmas that I wanted to give quilting a try and made some table runners for gifts.

Then I stumbled upon a friends blog post announcing season 2 of Project Quilting! This was just the inspiration and challenge I needed to try my hand at quilting!

here are a couple of pics of my work in progress..






and the description of my piece for the challenge - inspiring friendships

20"square pillow cover

named for Friendship, NY

driving through the hills of allegheny ny this summer I passed a roadsign for Friendship NY and thought that would be a great place to say that you were from ... when I spotted this challenge on your blog I thought it would be the perfect place name from which to draw my inspiration.

so... friendship...my online friendship with you brought me to this challenge, the fabrics I used are from other "friends" I have made both online and in real life while pursuing my creative endeavors...Patty Young and I started out together in the same boutique group on ebay, I met Sandi Henderson there as well, Jennifer Paganelli and I became online friends and later met in real life when I visited her home in CT for one of her fabulous home shows(turns out she also has inlaws in my hometown!), and I snuck a little Valorie Wells in there as I had the good luck to meet her at quilt market!

the nesting dolls fabric represents the friends we made while living in Poland too many years ago!

the fabric used for the border came from my stash - the outermost print reminds me of the hills where friendship, NY is located

I started with a log cabin block that I cut into quarters, shifted around and sewed back together, made the stripwork heart applique, added batting & backing and quilted it all free motion (?) ... as I may have mentioned this is one of my first forays into quitling and I don't know all the correct terminology yet! I then added an envelope back to the front so it could be used on a 20" pillow form

thanks for inspiring me!