Storybook Challenge Ready to Go

All quilted, bound and ready to go to the quilt show. Guild meets this coming Tuesday evening and all the challenge quilts and round robins will be revealed. Always lots of fun - we have such talented quilters in our group.

A little closeup of part of the piece. The colors don't appear as rich as they really are actually. It was fun to do this little thing. (Click to enlarge)

About Ready to be Quilted

I have done some quilting the past couple of weeks. This is the little challenge quilt for the guild's quilt show and the theme is story books. This is my version of a Mother Goose book. Just used what fabric I had on hand - which, of course, is quite plentiful - but I ended up not having enough for the binding and needed something to back it, also. Being an applique fan, I don't usually buy very big pieces of fabric unless I have a reason. I do buy lots of smaller pieces. This is not a big quilt - just 20 x 24. I bought a piece of dark blue today which does not match. However, I think since the binding only amounts to about 1/4 of an inch that it will work out just fine. I am pretty pleased with the way this turned out. The blocks are 8" so I needed four more inches in width and added the title of the quilt there. The letters were done by finding a simple font on the computer and enlarging them to the size I needed for the piece. I would have preferred the fabric in Mary, Mary's dress but that was gone. Also decided the strip needed something else so did the leaves and cherries or grapes or whatever and there was enough for those from the meager little scraps left from Mary's dress. This was a fun one to do.

(Click to enlarge)

Story Book Challenge

Have pretty much figured out the little wallhanging I spoke of in an earlier post. This will be the applique featured in each of the blue blocks......this one is partially buttonhole stitched. I am so glad I did not go for the 120 little tiny circles (actually there would have been 135 counting the centers) and decided to go for this pattern. Coincidently this is called "Topeka Rose" so a shoutout to an old home town.

One of the three nursery rhymes - of course, Mary, Mary. This is not quite ready for applique yet and needs some tweaking. Want to find a different color for her arm since it doesn't show up well on the yellow. I really do pretty much like the colors, though. Am going with Little Bo Peep and Jack and Jill. They will follow along later. (Click to enlarge)

Storybook Challenge for Quilt Show

This is what I designed on my EQ5 last week. I will be doing Nursery Rhymes and these little girls (and maybe a fellow) will play the parts of the characters. I have patterns printed out for the appliques shown and also three others that I could use. One that I have figured out is Jack and Jill and I think I definitely want those little kids. The little girl seated needs a spider on her block! As for the applique on the blue - I am pretty sure that I will change out the flowers - I love the look of the little circles and don't mind doing them but there would be 120 to go around and they are pretty small so I will find another pretty flower and make it easier. The reason the color isn't all that great in the above picture is that I printed it in draft - but you can get the idea.

Kind of a strange picture, but these are the backgrounds I will use for the blocks and some of the fabrics. I am not going to buy any fabric for this little piece - I am sure I have more than enough to make dozens of them. A little bit of the Kaffee Fassett fabric will go into the clothes and the rest will be batiks. I am showing the left side of the book as blue but I think it will be black as in the pattern and will have lettering on it. Will keep you posted. (Click to enlarge)

Three Projects

The past week I actually didn't do much in the way of sewing or quilting, but I did figure out and get started on projects that have to be done in the near future. There is the ATC that needs to be thought up and then put together. We are also having a Valentine exchange for the February meeting of the guild. Those who wanted to join in drew a name from the list of other participants and will make that person a handmade something. The only reqirement is that it will have a heart on it. Then in April, the quilt show challenge is due with the theme of children's story books. Along with the 20 x 24" piece, we each will donate a book for charity on the subject we chose. So, I did some designing on my EQ5 software. Believe me, what I do on that is super simple but it is a lot of fun. Love putting in the colors and fabric. It will be interesting to see if I can make the actual piece look like the project I printed out. So the picture above contains peeks of the three things I will be working on in the next few days. Fun stuff. (Click to enlarge)

The Five of Hearts

My playing card is now all done. She is appliquing a little quilt even though her needle is the size of a sword! Seems to be getting the job done, though. This exhibit at our show should be lots of fun - I will take lots of pictures. (Click to enlarge)

A Peek at my Playing Card

I'm in the process of quilting my challenge playing card - just about through with the outline
quilting and ready to do the background. Haven't decided how I will do that - probably some allover pattern but I will try to not stipple this time.

I drew the 5 of hearts. Methinks we are going to have a really fun display of cards at our show. I have seen a few and those have been stellar. Looking forward to seeing them all together.

(Click to enlarge)

Hmmm, Planning my 5 of Hearts

Pretty much decided on this fabric - pretty stuff. Have made up my mind several times as I considered four different options. This is it.

Wonder where this will go in the big picture? Hope I can make this do what I am hoping it does!

Here is the lovely little lady who will be the star of my 5 of hearts. I actually have let her out of her "file" where she has been for 21 years. See, it's good never to throw anything away - well, almost anything. (Click to enlarge)