Sunshine De-Vine

On two earlier posts here and here I mentioned my entry in this year's Trend Tex Challenge through The Canadian Quilter's Association . This is a yearly fundraiser, with all quilts donated and auctioned off to raise money for the organization.  I've participated every year since I was a member and I do like feeling that I am contributing.  Since pictures of all the entries are now posted on the CQA website, I can show my finished piece here.  The theme for this challenge was Sunshine and Vines, and we were each supplied with 5 FQ of batiks.

I chose to depict a simple vine circling the sun.  The elements are all raw edge, with free motion machine embroidery worked to show detail.

I backed it with a coordinating yellow and blue batik from my stash.

In natural light, the quilting shows up a bit better;  you can see the feathered wreath in the sun.  The grapes have not been trapuntoed;  the relief is achieved simply from using Legacy wool batting.

The quilting was done using 100 weight Invisifil, the stitching was worked with a variety of rayon and cotton threads.

The pattern on the sun looks almost like an EKG, worked in orange Sulky.

Check out more than 90 entries here;  it's always fun to see how each interprets the theme.

TTC Finished!

Yay!  The Trend Tex Challenge quilt is all finished and on its way to Newfoundland.  I'm never quite sure if it is poor manners to show the piece before CQA does on their site, so I'll just post a couple now and add the rest later.  I had a piece of a yellow Benartex batik very similar to the one used on the front, so it was perfect for the back.

I showed the grapes in Sunday's post as I was stitching them, so surely it's ok to show them finished.   That doesn't give anything away.

I changed my needle THREE TIMES to quilt this little 17" x 21" hanging.  With batiks back and front, it took no time to hear that tell-tale thunk thunk of a dull needle.  Once you hear that, skipped stitches are not far behind.  Do you listen to your machine as you stitch?  You can learn all kinds of things listening to the subtle changes in the sounds it makes.

TT Challenge

While the design is less than inspired, I am enjoying every stitch in the Trend Tex Challenge.  It was fun to pull bright threads to add a little life and definition to these somewhat muddied batiks.

My dearly beloved Bernina sang along in harmony as we stitched.  I think it shows in the finished product when a piece has an easy birth;  the joy peeks through.

Changing Spoons

The other day, Lynn asked me what I was working on.  My reply was, "finishing a Maritime Beauty, hand stitching silver coins onto the Black Friday piece (30 of them, of course...), figuring out a design for Mirror Ball Dot (more on this shortly!), preparing material and stitching samples for upcoming workshops and...oh yeah, I almost forgot...the Trend Tex Challenge."  Oh dear.  That Challenge gets me every year.  It's a fund-raiser for CQA and I've participated every year since I've been a member.  I find it exceedingly difficult  - not because of the fabrics or themes, but because we are given Fat Quarters with which to work.  As primarily a patch-worker, Fat Quarters are a problem.  I never have enough.
This year's fabrics are batiks, and the theme is "Sunshine and Vines."

The yellow is a bit muddied for pure sunshine (maybe it's overcast?), but the other colours are great.  The green I particularly like.  I will put the Maritime Beauty on hold and get started on this.  It needs to arrive in Nfld. by the 22nd of this month to qualify.
And for the record...my blue "Fat Quarter" is a bit anorexic;  it measures only 17" x 20"!

Our day At Quilt Canada

Stellar company, spectacular quilts and an opportunity to shop make for a winning combination any day. We left early for Halifax which is a good 2-1/2 hour drive from Amherst. Naturally, it was raining when we arrived at the campus of Dalhousie University.
We purchased an all-day parking pass, but soon discovered it pretty useless as all the lots were full. Oh my...
We eventually made it to the National Juried Show of Quilt Canada, being held at the Student Union Building. For some obscure reason, no pictures are allowed to be taken at this show, and I turned my flash off to be inconspicuous out in the hallway taking these. We were on a quest to see Monika Kinner-Whalen's beautiful prairie dress and we did...but the no-picture rule means we can't share it with you. While there, we met up with Linda H from Stitch Lines who I expect will have a spectacular batch of pictures of the week to share soon.
The invitational show was just across the hall from the NJS.
After enjoying the beautiful showing of quilts, we made our way to Dalplex to see the Trend Tex Challenge. This is a fun event in which to participate and it is so neat to see the different interpretations. We ran into Linda as soon as we arrived; check out her blog for lots more pictures.
This one was adorable - see the stitched dimples on the knees?
Then off to the Merchant's Mall! I checked out a Sew Ezi portable table for my Bernina (really tempting...) and got so distracted by all the goodies I neglected to turn my flash back on. Ergo,the pictures are fuzzy and dark. There were a good many vendors from away which gave wonderful variety. This is Stitches from Salt Spring, B.C.I picked up three spools of my favourite thread at The Quilting B and More from Charlottetown, PEI.
My friend Kate from Kanata urged me bid hello to her friend Marilyn from Bytown Threads in Ottawa and I'm awfully glad she did. This very busy booth was stocked with Aurifil thread and I purchased some to try out.
Marilyn graciously agreed to pose for a photo.
I circled the mall a couple of times before I got a chance to speak to Heather MacArthur, editor of Quilter's Connection.
Heather is as delightful in person as she is in print and I am so pleased we had a chance to meet up. Written correspondence is one thing but it makes such a difference to hear a voice and see a face. Heather had copies of the latest issue of Quilter's Connection magazine with her, hot off the press.
And speaking of seeing faces, I saw many I recognized including Gail and Jean who will be coming to our N.S. Fibre Arts Festival again in the fall.
By this time our day in the city was over; we missed as much as we saw, but it was a long drive home. Kudos to all the vendors who come from so far away to be part of these shows as they must surely return home exhausted. Kudos also to Lesley and Lynn, who make for such terrific travelling companions.

Trend Tex Challenge 2012

The buzz in Maritime quilt circles this week is the opening of Quilt Canada in Halifax. Despite big plans to go spend the week, enter a quilt in every show and attend all the classes (!) life didn't quite work out that way and my only entry this year is in the Trend Tex Challenge. I hope to at least have a quick trip to the city to see this show. I've been doing this challenge for many years now and each time try to use a technique I haven't done before.This very pale, watery fabric was a bit of a shock to someone like me who normally gravitates towards bright, happy colours. I showed the back of the quilt earlier but with the show opening tomorrow, I think it's safe to flip it over and show the front now.

The theme was "At Home In My Garden By The Sea." Oh my... With only 5 fabrics, all very close in value, I settled on alternating the pink and blues for the sailboats and water to add a little interest.

The sailboats are encircling a garden oasis which (of course!) features a bee in her garden.

My "new" technique to try this year is raw edge applique. I can honestly say, it isn't my thing.

The little wallhanging quilted up very nicely and I am pleased with how it turned out.

The Trend Tex Challenge Show is at Dalplex, and open Wed. - Sat. Hours- Wed. and Thurs. 9-5, Fri. 9-8, Sat. 9-5. Admission is free.

Fabric Finding Missions

With all the upcoming projects, fabric buying has been a necessity. I was able to take advantage of Spring Break trips to Moncton and Halifax and pop into a couple of stores. These fabrics will go into the liturgical antependiums I am stitching.
Even though the colour is a bit off in the photo, this brilliant red will be stitched with flames for Pentecost. I expect there to be a bit of gold in there as well, but I haven't located anything suitable as yet.

Light and dark purple dupioni silk is perfect for Lent; those 30 silver coins appear to be embossed with the head of a Roman emperor. What a find!

This week in Halifax, fabrics from Timeless Treasures jumped into my arms as I entered the store; it was like they knew me. (Come to Mama!) They are from the "Plume" collection and the blue-greens and gold are so appealing. Not sure as yet what I will make from these, but I know I will enjoy working with this fabric. It's gorgeous! Hmmm...and now that I see them on the screen, that gold looks as though it would work in the Pentecost antependium. Why didn't I buy more of that one?
Before I can start on sewing any of these fabrics though, the binding for the Trend Tex Challenge quilt needs to get stitched down and the final embellishments added. It's almost there.

Deadlines and Commitments

"...what to leave in, what to leave out..." (Bob Seeger, Against The Wind). The past few weeks have certainly felt like running against the wind...or the clock. Work on the antependiums progresses - the first was delivered this week actually (more on that later)- and now the deadline for mailing the Farrago quilt to the O Canada exhibit in Houston is here.

I went over and over and over the checklist many times to make certain everything is there, and then sent it on its way. It needs to arrive in Houston by next Friday and even though it went 3 day delivery, my confidence was shaken last week by another parcel that went the same way...and took 5 days. Like raising kids, you send them on their way and hope for the best. With Farrago out the door, next up is the Trend Tex Challenge. This annual fundraiser for the Canadian Quilter's Association is one I have been doing for many years. It's fun to do (when there's time). This year's fabrics present a real challenge in that they are watery, pale pastels...so not me. The theme is, At Home In My Garden By The Sea.

I won't show the whole quilt until the deadline passes but here's a sneak peak for Mary who is working on the same challenge with similar enthusiasm for the fabrics.
Where's the bright red or green when you need it? My sea garden needs lobsters...!

N.S. Quilters Meet The Challenge!

Last night was the awards banquet/auction for the Trend Tex Challenge at Quilt Canada. I am very pleased to learn that my entry "If A Quilt Falls In The Forest..." received Honourable Mention. Reading further in the list, I recognize names of two other Nova Scotian quilters: Kate Madeloso who took second place and Carolyn Hudson who was awarded Judge's Choice. You can check out all the quilts here: http://www.canadianquilter.com/photo-gallery/trend-tex-quilters-challenge-2011.php

If A Quilt Falls In The Forest And There's No One There To Hear It...

Does it make a sound? That's the question my entry in this year's CQA Trend Tex Challenge poses. This annual challenge is a fund-raiser for The Canadian Quilter’s Association (of which I am a member) with all quilts going up for auction. It is held during Quilt Canada which this year is in London Ontario, May 24 - 28. Each participant purchases the same 5 Fat Quarters of fabric for their challenge quilt. You can see the fabrics in an earlier post. This year's theme is Quilting In The Forest, so I began with 4 Tree of Life blocks for my forest. I drew a sketch of the block and coloured it in by hand to get the colour placement correct.
The idea was to rearrange some of the half-square triangles forming the foliage into recognizable mini quilts. I also added triangles to the base of the tree trunks to form a secondary quilt design where the blocks meet in the centre. You will notice one tree has a blank spot (the black background fabric shows) from where a quilt has just detached and is gently wafting to the ground.
This is the separate mini log cabin which will fit in that spot. It finishes to 2-1/2", so the blocks are 1-1/4" each. The logs are pretty narrow.
I added a plain border in the background print, and drafted a template from card stock to trace a scalloped edge.
It's a very high tech process.
Using a white Clover marker, I traced the scallop outline on the quilt.

Because sometimes the marks will rub off during handling, I like to stitch along the marked line with a contrasting thread.

I trapuntoed the four quilt sections in the trees.
The next step was the dreaded basting...a necessary evil in the quilting process.
While basting, I was thinking ahead to how I would quilt the piece. There really wasn't much room and the border was quite narrow, so I doodled out a feather border on paper to see how it would look.
It isn't very wide, but I decided if I kept the feathers tightly spaced it might have a bit more impact. It was a tight fit.
Because I used black thread on the black print, the quilting did not show up very well in the picture.

The extra layer of batting helped the little quilt blocks stand out.

When the quilting was complete, I trimmed the quilt along the stitched scalloped border and had just enough of the yellow Fairy Frost to make the bias binding. I was hoping to use the red which forms the tree trunks but there simply was not enough left. The little log cabin was added with hand stitches, as were some stitching details.
It was a fun piece to make, and it's always interesting to see the different results folks achieve for these challenges. You can see the rest of this year's entries here on the Canadian Quilter's Association website.