Some Art Quilt Challenges Completed

It was certainly a busy summer!  Now that all the activity of September is over, I have time to regroup and catch up on some projects.  The real problem is, I have quite a list of projects to work on and I want to just have some fun play time in my studio.  My friend, A, came over and we finally did a landscape with mountains.  We actually did some "Accidental Landscapes."

This piece, I was happy to use a scrap of the upholstery fabric left over from Pete's carpet bag.  Hmmm, I don't think I posted about that project.  Anyway, this landscape measures 6" X 7" and I completed it in one day.  Title:  Ditch Side Beauty

It is highly likely that someone should talk to me about how I name my art.  On the other hand, I should be true to myself.

This piece is 12" X 16" and is hand quilted.  My Unruly Quilt Artist group learned how to do Sashiko, last summer.  (I had taken a class years ago, but I never went anywhere with it.) We were each to make an art quilt with one of the blocks we hand stitched.  I used some of my Japanese fabrics to create my art piece.  Again, I found a scrap (of my Aoi has Two Sisters fabric) to fussy cut and include in my design.  I used some two-holed beads to add interest.  This was a challenge and not my usual design type.  I really like it.  In this last year, I have made quite a few hand-quilted pieces.  I like being able to take the time to make hand sewn/quilted pieces of art.

Title:  My Favorite Dish: Fish

Princess Poppy

I started this art quilt in February.  I took Susan Carlson's Fantastical Fish class on-line.   I completed the fish and background in about a month.  I did a little quilting on it, then I procrastinated with the remainder of the quilting until August.  I quilted it on my domestic machine with my walking foot, so it took me a substantial number of hours to finally complete it.  I completed on September 15, 2025.  It is 36 inches wide and 23 inches tall.  Quilt name:  Princess Poppy

Hand-stitched Fun!

Between projects that take a lot of thought, I like making fun, quick little hand-stitched do-haws:  tiny quilts and odd quilted birds.  I made all of these in the last nine months.

The birds, I made in the last ten days, needing a break from my overwhelming Princess Poppy (fish) quilt.  I have been powering on through for the last couple of days and she is nearly complete.  I am putting her in the upcoming (09/26-09/27) BBQ Quilt Show.  She is rather a surprise, I started last February, then procrastinated on the quilting bit.  

I am also getting ready for the doll quilt show, which is also at the BBQ Quilt Show.  I have to sand and spray paint some more doll stands, get the curated quilts collected up, and dress the dolls for the show.  I am so happy Princess Poppy is soooo close to being finished.  About three more hours is all I need.  No more birds til after all this other business settles down.

Indigo Dye Party Quilt

I found another barn to photograph a quilt on.  I love taking photos of old barns and what better reason to get out and do so, than photographing a quilt completion.  This barn is SPECTACULAR!

Barns absolutely dwarf my quilts, but this is my favorite shot!  I always ask permission and sometimes I meet the nicest people.  This morning, I knew exactly which barn I wanted, and the farmer was very hospitable.  He said take all the pictures you want.  While I was doing so, he came out and chatted and opened a door for me, should I want to go inside.  I only took a half-step in, because it is very old, and no longer used except as a home by a flighty flock of pigeons.  His daughter-in-law also came and chatted, then the old guy came back and gave me some fresh picked tomatoes. 

 

Here is the close-up.  If you click on the photo, it will enlarge, so you can see more of the details.

Meanwhile, I took these photos on August 16, but I cannot "post" this until Elverta's birthday.  It is a gift for her 80th.  Her daughter arranged the "dye party' and she and Elverta's grandson each made a block for the quilt.  The rest of the blocks were made by the other five ladies in the Cloverdale Ladies Society.

Done and Done: Pentagon Quilt aka Crap Shoot

The challenge quilt from my Piecemakers of Idaho quilt group is completed.  The challenge was to bring instructions for one quilt block and pass them out to members, along with any fabric you wished to include, so they could make a block then bring it back at the next meeting.  I made twelve pentagon shapes (that is five sided, just in case) and pinned one to each of twelve sets of instructions.  When I passed them out to the group, I said that the five-sided piece of fabric, included, was to be the focus fabric, which means use strips of fabric that are the colors in the pentagon.  I got ten back at the next meeting.  I decided to wait to work on the quilt until I got the last two.  Four months later I got number 11, but I made another one for Jody, cause she wanted to make one and she turned that one in.  I got 12 altogether and I made 18 more.  I ran out of my focus fabric so I had to punt on the last block.

I had decided when I joined this challenge, that I would accept whatever people gave me.  Since more than one block had red or blue or orange or some of two of those NON-FOCUS FABRICS in them, it was okay because they balanced out.  It did turn out rather amazing looking for a quilt that has some blocks made by twelve different quilters, many who had difficulty with the construction concept.  I like it a lot and it makes me think of the quilters that contributed their blocks. 

Naturally, I photographed it on an old barn door.

Time Out to Make a Zippy Bag!

I had to do it!  It was so much fun.  I made a 12" X 9.5" zippy bag for Lou, the Glitter Girl Doll.  It is a gift that holds Lou's clothes.  I bought Lou at the thrift store for $4.99 and brought her home and cleaned her in accordance with a YouTube video I saved a couple years back.  The video says American Girl dolls, but it works for all these amazing dolls that have soft bodies and the kind of hair fibers that Mattel and other doll manufacturers use today.

The bag has pink scribble fabric on the inside.  It and Lou are a gift for my friend, A's granddaughter, who is turning six.

I admit Lou cleaned up really well and it was fun getting her some clothes, but I decided she needed a home with a real girl.  I do have a Welly Wisher and am happy having her.  What I did learn is Welly Wishers are just a tick bigger than Glitter Girls, so the Glitter Girl clothes are extremely tight on Welly Wishers.  However, they do wear the same size shoes.  That's it on the "Doll Front" for today.  For more doll talk/posts:  those amazing AG Doll bloggers/quilters

Back to serious quilt business!  It is a quilted bag!

Here is Lou helping a friend do chair yoga.

Quilt Top Resulting From Indigo Dye Party

Remember the Indigo Dye Party, in June?  Well, several participants made 9 1/2 inch square blocks for a quilt top.  It is coming along very well.  A and I decided it needs a couple borders; they will be added next week.

Near the end of July, this is what is on the design wall.  A came over on Wednesday and we got them sewed to each other.  Now for the borders.  It is going to be a quilt for a friend.