Project Quilting #6 Time is Up

The final challenge for Project Quilting Season 8 is Time is Up. The challenge is anything related to time. I found that to be so broad that it was difficult narrowing it down. Do I go with the standard clock or calendar? 

What about seasons...spring time?  

Then there are all the sayings or idioms related to time.

Have a whale of a good time, Once Upon a Time, time out, most wonderful time of the year, running out of time, time flies, time is money...

Then there is time management and Time magazine. 

You get the idea...we use time for many things. I knew I couldn't ponder this too long as this is a short week for me as we are leaving to visit our daughters tomorrow. 

I decided to go with Tea Time. A mini quilt that I could use. I got started and while I was paper piecing my mind kept going...maybe I should do a play on these words...tee time...

No! I didn't have TIME to play. So here it is: Tea Time

This mini finishes at about 14" square. The tea pot and tea cup are paper pieced  using this pattern and I FMQ around the pot and cup as well as the background. I FMQ straight lines to represent the table. I used a doily under the tea pot.

This is the final challenge! Voting next week. It has been fun!

Linking up to Project Quilting @ Persimon Dreams.

Project Quilting #5 Well Dressed Man

The 5th challenge for Project Quilting is the well-dressed man!

Immediately I thought of pin stripes or hounds tooth or herringbone...all patterns in mens wear that are classic. 

Then I did a search through my husband's closet where I found a few more patterns...stripes and plaids ties and shirts. I rummaged through his sock drawer and ...

I remember that for my daughter's wedding, my son-in-love wanted the men to wear argyle socks! 

This is not a picture from their wedding as it didn't get captured by their photographer.

The color scheme for their wedding was purples but my SIL didn't care what color argyle socks the men wore. So my husband bought these 

(he couldn't find purple). 

Using an argyle pattern - Argyle Sketches by QuilterChic available on Craftsy, I created this mini quilt.

 

Using the dimensions of the argyle diamonds in the pattern, I cut out 3 diamonds (2 blue and 1 gray). I used a darker charcoal gray for the background. I flipped the diamonds on their sides instead of upright like in the pattern to look like the socks.

I backed this with a print from my stash.

I quilted around each diamond in the ditch and extended the quilting into the border following the argyle diamonds. Then I hand quilted using big stitch quilting with pearl cotton, the white argyle lines. 

This quilt finishes at 15" x 22". Created by me in Des Plaines, IL

I'm linking up to Project Quilting over at Persimon Dreams.

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Project Quilting #4 ~ Brighter the better

The 4th challenge over at Project Quilting is Brighter the Better. Although the sun has come out a bit more in February than painfully dreary January, it is still dull out. So I aimed to create a rainbow blossom out of my solid stash. 

After pulling out all my bright solids, I started pairing a bright light and a bright dark of each color. When I had 9 color pairs, I started cutting 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles and arranging them around a yellow center. 

The only color pairs I wasn't sure of the placement was the tangerine/red pair. I ended up placing the tangerine on the outside as shown below. 

The quilt top came together quickly once the placement was finished. Then the decision of what to use from my stash for the back. I found this bright Hawaiian print which came from my mother's stash. I think it works great!

Introducing Rainbow Blossom!

For the quilting, I divided the quilt into quarters diagonally and quilted straight lines every 1/2". The binding is a black and white stripe.

This little quilt is 20" square and made by me in Des Plaines, IL.

Linking up to Project Quilting over at Persimon Dreams.

Rainbow Blossoms brightens my world and makes me smile! 

Hope it brightens your day too!

Project Quilting #3~Purple Stained Glass

The 3rd challenge for Project Quilting is Tune into Texture. The challenge was to find some inspiration from something other than other quilts. 

Over my quilting years, I have been interested in company logos and how many of them could be made into quilts. I looked through some of the pictures I collected for a geometric logo, then got out my graph paper and pencil and went to work designing.

I used the logo from Prairie Research Center. You can see it here. 

I drew up the block to be about a 22" square.

Their logo uses 7 different blues. I didn't want to copy their logo just play with the design so I made it with 7 different shades of purple. 

I then added borders made with linen to add a different texture. I also quilted a different pattern into each area (another chance to practice FMQ). To give it a stained glass affect, I added narrow black bias tape to separate each shape hence the name, Purple Stained Glass.  

 The borders are quilted with a 'chevron' stitch. It is basically an elongated zig zag stitch. The finished size of this quilt is approx. 35" x 41".

The backing fabric is fabric from my stash.  

Created in Des Plaines, IL

Linking up to Project Quilting. Go check out the other entries.

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Project Quilting ~ Challenge 2

The second challenge for Project Quilting was announced last Sunday 

~ Carolina Lily.  

I really wasn't much of a fan but a challenge is a challenge!

 So I set myself doing a little google research. 

I didn't want to do a traditional block so I decided I would do a more modern version focusing on the blossom. 

I drew up a 6" paper pieced block on graph paper. 

I made 3 of the blossoms this size in a bright yellow orange (Kona paprika) with the bottom triangle being a bright green (Kona grass). To make the colors pop, I set them on a black background. 

While playing on my design wall with the layout I decided to make one more block that was 8" in size. So I enlarged the 6" block to 8" and using the same colors made one more block. 

After finalizing a layout, I began the puzzle of fitting in the remaining background pieces. 

This is what I came up with in the end.

The layout gave me plenty of negative space to practice some FMQ. I followed several tutorials from Lori over at The Inbox Jaunt. I used 3 different colors of threads, black, green, and bright yellow. 

You can see the quilting better from the back (besides the yellow Ü)

This little quilt finishes at 20" x 22"

Linking up to Project Quilting at Persimmon Dreams.

Created in Des Plaines, IL

A New Challenge

I found a new challenge (new to me) by reading a couple of blogs this week. 

Apparently this is season 8 of the challenge...I'm glad I finally found it! 

It is hosted by Persimmon Dreams and the theme for the first challenge is: 

Eight is Great!

The challenge must be completed in 1 week. This challenge was announced on January 1st and therefore must be complete and posted by January 8th at noon. 

I think I'm just in the nick of time...not much room to spare. 

I wasn't sure if I would participate since I have so many projects going right now but I love a challenge so....

Gr8 is a pillow/cushion. It is 24" square. 

I pieced the G and R and paper pieced the 8 using a navy pin dot fabric from my stash and some Kona. The pillow form has been in my quilting room for quite some time. Feeling good about using things I have. 

I hope this year is a GR8 year! 

Linking to Project Quilting~ Challenge 1