Project Quilting Season 8 - Brighter the Better

We are up to challenge 4 with Project Quilting this season and the challenge was "Brighter the Better".  Now, this was right up my alley.  I love bright colors. 

My mind went right to this great bundle of  batik fabrics that I was given from a friend.  I had no idea what I was going to use it in and this was the perfect challenge for it. 

I decided that a plus quilt would be perfect for this challenge, so I set to cutting out a ton of 2.5" squares from this bundle and my overflowing batik scrap stash.  As I worked I kept cutting more and more squares since I decided I was making this one to do double duty for PQ and the Scrap Quilt Challenge. 

I cut so many of my scraps, but it still looks like I didn't touch them! The quilt is free motion with a large meander all over the quilt.  The binding came from stash and has so many of the colors of the fabrics in the quilt in it. 

My On the Bright Side plus quilt measures 52" x 64" and is made up of 832 2.5" squares. 

I backed it with a mustard yellow print from my backing stash that was prefect for the quilt.  A little stained glass action in the sun, too. 

 

Photographed on a perfectly bright warm day this February. 

 

On the Bright Side
52" x 64"
95% scraps
All from stash
Made in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Project Quilting Season 8 - Texture

I can't believe we are already in to February and challenge 3 of Project Quilting Season 8.  This weeks challenge was Texture.  Such a fun challenge that made me look for inspiration all around. 

My inspiration came from a few things.  On my sewing desk sits a Rubik's cube and an Alexander's Star.  The Alexander's Star has a great shape, with triangles facing all different directions.  These triangles look so much like flying geese.  Also, this week, I was making draft socks and filling them with ground walnut shells.  The texture reminded me of the sand on the beach.  Once these two came together my idea began to form.  

I pulled a background fabric that reminded me of mornings on the beach with the sun sparkling off the sand and pebbles sprinkled in.  For the colors of my geese I turned to my collection of sea glass.  I love the different shades of teals and blues that I have collected, even some green and white can be found in my jars.  

I began to build my mini quilt, starting with paper piecing curving and growing geese from my own patterns.  It is as if the sea glass geese are coming out of the sand.  

To add more texture to the sand I decided on a small stipple for the quilting.  Giving the feeling of the beach when the water recedes and a light texture remains on the wet sand.   

This Sea Geese mini quilt measures 19" x 21".  All the fabrics in it are batik, they add just the right amount of texture and variation to the colors that make them perfect for this mini.

Sea Geese
19" x 21"
Batik fabrics
cotton batting
Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

I just love how it looks through the back of the quilt with the sun shining, like stained glass. 

Project Quilting Season 8 - Carolina Lily

Another week of Project Quilting is completed. This week's challenge was to be inspired by the Carolina Lily. The Carolina Lily looks a lot like the tiger lily that grows in our yard, also know as carrot flowers for how they look before they bloom.

While flipping through a sketchbook at the beginning of the week I came across the perfect quilt idea that reflected on the shape of the Carolina lily quilt block. I decided that would be my quilt for this challenge. I pulled a number of floral inspired fabrics and set to work.

Half square rectangles frame the center nine patch with the half square triangle stem. The feathered quilting and swirl quilting helps to separate the different sections.

The baking is a cute floral print with lilies and a few cute kittens.

My Lily Garden quilt finishes at 39"x39". The perfect size baby quilt.

Lily Garden

39"x39"
All cotton fabrics from my stash
Created in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

 

Project Quilting Season 8 - 8 Is Great

Season 8 of Project Quilting has stated! I always love this time of year. Really gets my quilting mojo going.

This first challenge is 8 is Great. Very fitting for Season 8. I knew exactly what I was doing as soon as I saw the challenge. I've been wanting to make an octopus quilt that I've had in my head for a while and this was the perfect time.

Happy Hugger is made with 2.5" squares and half square triangles. I used a bunch of my favorite nautical fabrics in grays for the background and blues for the body and legs. The back is actually a sheet I found on clearance that works perfectly.

I stitched around him and then free motion squiggled in the background.

He just makes me smile.

Happy Hugger
50" x 52"
Made in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Dash Around the Goose

This week's Project Quilting challenge was to include the monkey wrench block and flying geese. I had such a busy week that I want sure what I was doing until Friday. Nothing like the last minute.

I pulled out a bundle of fabrics that I picked up at a show a couple years ago and started making some blocks. I went for simplicity wIth this quilt. Two of my monkey wrench, or churn dash, blocks are the opposite of the rest. The flying geese were created with the scraps from making the half square triangles.

I free motion quilted in the blocks and then around the outside of the quilt. It is machine bound with another print from my stash.

I'm loving the simplicity of this quilt.

Dash Around the Goose
41" x 46"
Machine pieced, quilted, and bound
Created by me in my home in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

I have to see that I am sad to see this season of Project Quikting come to a close, but I look forward to more fun in the future.

Here Fishy Fishy - Project Quilting Challenge 5

This weeks Project Quilting challenge was Through the Eyes of a Child.  We were to be inspired by children's artwork.  I had a few pieces to use to be inspired from, but kept coming coming back to one I made in 3rd grade.  They are thumbprint fish.  I remember making the project and being totally obsessed with fantail fish at the time.  I had a whole tank full of them.

I designed a fun quilt block and started making fish.  I made string tails and whole piece bodies and different fins.  I started with patterns the decided to see how it would look in solids and I loved it!  The background is pieced quarter log cabin blocks and bits and pieces to fill in gaps. So I finished this weeks quilt as an entirely solid quilt!  A total change for me.

I quilted swirly bubbles around the fish then bubble quilted in the body for texture and added wavy quilting lines in the tails, just like the picture.  I matched the bobbin thread to the top thread to add a fun surprise on the back.

Here Fishy Fishy
32" x  36"
Made of assorted solids
Created in my home in Lanoka Harbor, NJ

Life is Better at the Beach

This week's Project Quilting challenge was Vacation. My first thought when seeing that was the beach. Of course it took me until Friday to get started. And I started with 4.5" squares and quickly realized I would never finish on time. I switched to 2.5" squares and came up wIth this sweet baby quilt.

I love the scrappy mixed up background and anchor. I'm looking forward to getting back to the bigger one once some other projects are done.

Life is Better at the Beach
34" x 38"
Made in my home in Lanoka Harbor,  NJ