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Hoffman Challenge Quilt 2010

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:02:28 +0000

This is “Deca-Dance”, my Hoffman Fabric Challenge Quilt for 2010.

The design is based on an Islamic tile mosaic. Dealing with 10 sides was a royal pain in the boohickey, but it turned out very well. Well enough that it made it into another trunk show and is still touring the U.S. right now

I should be working on this year’s challenge, but I just haven’t felt quite as inspired as I have the past three years…we’ll see if I actually get an entry in or not

Hoffman Challenge Finished! The Quilt.

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:54:19 +0000

And here’s my final product. I had a blast making it (yes, even all those little flowers), despite the time crunch at the end (that was my fault for not starting it until after recital, which was June 22nd.)

And now back to my previously scheduled life…

Hoffman Challenge Finished! Applique and Final Touches

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:45:38 +0000

The saga continues–

After getting the underlying blocks pieced (the actual quilting came later), but before I put on the backing, I did some major applique.

The vase is the most important part, since it is the challenge fabric in all its glory. It has layers of batting underneath it to simulate the curve of a vase. I had to put the brown piping around the edges to make it stand out from the busy background.

I didn’t want much quilting in this section, since vases have nice smooth sides, but again, to diminish puckering fabrics, I ended up quilting the blue feathers and a bit of the branches on the right-hand side. And I gave the peacock a nice black eye too

After that came the cherry blossoms. The branches are appliqued over thin cords of piping. The flowers are made with a Clover Yo-Yo Flower Maker in two different sizes and were sewn on at the very end (after everything else had been quilted and bound and whatnot. Those little seed beads are ones I had left over from a cross-stitch project I started eons ago, and they just happened to be the right colors. Love it! I also couldn’t find fabric I liked, so I turned the fabric I had inside out and used the back side instead.

I decided the window sill needed something else, so I wrote a little poem about the scene. I wanted to do a haiku, to keep with the Asian feel of the quilt, but it was a bit too limited to get across everything I wanted to get across. So I used a tanka, which is the same idea as haiku, but instead 5-7-5 format, it is 5-7-5-7-7. That also became the name of this quilt–”Tanka.”

Outside my window
Pale blossoms dance, wild and free
On sea-scented winds.
Do my captive blossoms yearn
For such perilous freedom?

See the finished quilt in my next post!

Ebay Store is up!

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:57:43 +0000

Okay, so I’m awful about posting. But I’ve also made a 3-section, 7′ window seat cushion with removable covers, two Easter outfits, another handbell cushion and table skirt, and am in the process of finishing two 4′ x 5′ baby quilts (got the top of one finished last night. Wahoo! Can’t wait to post pics of this one). I’ve also been to a handbell conference, totally revamped my fabric stash, set up two quilting bees at our church, and redone my pantry and the Punkin’s bedroom. Oh, and performed Irish dancing for St. Patrick’s Day and hit a Leahy concert. Yes, I think I can officially qualify as busy.

But amid all the craziness, I’ve finally gotten some of my quilt patterns up on our Ebay store! Using OSCommerce was a royal pain in the boohickey, so I’m piggybacking on my husband’s magazine store instead. Ever so much easier.

Right now only patterns are listed, but the kits are still available by request.

Well, the Punkin is resting quietly, so I’m going to take advantage of this time and get some more sewing done.

TTFN

Totally Random “What the…?!”

admin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:20:31 +0000

Okay, so I was wasting my precious time playing Free Cell, and this happened to me…again.

Notice that Queen of Clubs sitting there? That was my 5 of Diamonds. Somehow, it morphed. I know it morphed, because the stack of Clubs is sitting there nicely finished, and I can’t clear out the Diamonds. I also can’t quit the game unless I resign, which screws up my statistics. Arghhhh.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. Anyone else had this lovely bit of Microsoft madness happen to them? Or is this just God’s way of telling me to stop playing games and get to work, or else quit complaining that I don’t have the time to do my quilting and writing?

Just curious.