Wordless Wednesday

Sampling bigger

Here I posted about my freemotion quilting samples. While making them I also created a mini quilt sampler.  

I'd sorted some hand dyed fabric that I'd purchased ages ago on Trademe (NZ's version of ebay) and had never used mostly because the fabric was quite flimsy and the colours a little light.  

For the initial piecing of the front used gentle curves then the back with straight piecing. Then the back became the front!  

For each segment a different quilting pattern was used with varying threads. 

back

closer look

 











One of my favourites is the fill in the slim white piece.

While I could keep this as a sample it is also the right size for a neonate quilt or maybe a large cushion.

Knit One, Paint One, Repeat

My quilt 'Knit One, Paint One, Repeat' has been hanging at Nancy's Stitch Studio for a few weeks now.  It is mostly the same as 'Knit One, Paint One (see here) except the colour is less blue and slightly lighter to fit the colour scheme for their new shop.

Kint One, Paint One, Repeat

In March I posted about my initial progress with the quilt (see here).  

A couple of detail pictures ...

finished quilting

back view

It takes a bit of getting used to seeing the quilt when I enter the shop.  A nice feeling and now to remember to enjoy seeing it as it is and not thinking about what I could have done differently or better. 

The Quilted Garden

The Wellington Botanic Gardens currently have a quilt themed planting, with the flower beds in the main garden having been transformed into living ‘quilts’.

Throughout January there is to be a real quilt exhibition at their Treehouse Visitor Centre.

Some pics (taken on a drizzly wet day).  The gardens were only planted earlier this month so should look pretty amazing throughout summer.

Grandmothers Garden

Sawtooth

Christmas Tree

Nine Patch

'The Backseat Band' - voting now open

This year Bernina NZ have been running a Music Challenge.  The size of each quilt had to fit within A2 (594 x 420mm). 

Completed entries were taken to the local Bernina dealer.  They then selected a winning quilt which will be part of an exhibition that will tour the country during 2014.  

Each dealer also ran a 'viewers choice' for the most humorous quilt, which then competes with all the other humorous quilts for the overall winner.

My entry 'The Backseat Band' won the viewers choice for Nancy's Embroidery Shop (my local Bernina dealer).  


Voting is now open on Facebook (click here ) until Tuesday 10th December 2013 (NZ time).  If my quilt makes you smile (or not) and you felt like voting then please do so. 

The Backseat Band

I was inspired by the stick figure stickers on the back windows of cars, the ones with Mum, Dad, the kids, the cat, the dog, etc. - which I refuse to have on my car!  The quilt pretty much represents our musical (!) family, including the fellow on the right who wants the noise music to stop.

The figures were stitched first with double lines and then coloured in with Tsukineko inks.  Before applying the ink I painted on Aloe Vera gel (a Judy Coates Perez technique).  This seems to make it easier to apply the inks onto the fabric while also stopping the ink bleeding out onto the fabric.  The quilting also fits the musical theme with the repeating five lines (staff) and the music notes flowing through.

Gwen Marston quilted

I've now quilted and bound my two little quilts from the Gwen Marston class (see here).

This one has a small amount of quilting and a narrow binding.  It is a double binding and stitched at less than 1/4" with more folded to the back - if that makes sense. 

With the second one I decided not to quilt it and just bind it.  It does have a few feature (!) tucks and bulges. Hopefully I'll be able to remember the piecing techniques.