A while back, Regina Grewe offered foundation paper-pieced patterns depicting scenes from The Lord of the Rings. I've a grandson who is an avid fan, so decided to download and save them all. It took some time as they came available only once a month. So far, I have these four finished. They are supposed to be 7" square finished, but when I looked at the size of the pieces in the larger one, I worked out a different layout and made that one 11" - as will be a few others that have insane tiny pieces. I will be embellishing these also. The horse is also wider than 7" because I don't want the side pieces to be too narrow. Lots more to come for this project.
And this
one is the latest finished quilt, "Lighthouse and Friends" that is just waiting for a
label and to be delivered. I noted that the last picture was March 8 and
cannot believe it took me this long to get it done. I really enjoy looking at it,
partly because all the "friends" are hard to find, even though I sewed
them on myself. This is about 47" x 71" and a gift for my dear DIL.
This is "HORSEPLAY"
Finally, I can show you this latest finish. Apologies for the light in the corner but without it, the quilting almost disappears. This piece was for a competition within my local guild. The guidelines were simple. It could be no bigger than 36" on the longest side, and the theme was "DOT." My immediate thought was Bob Coonts who gave me permission in 2009 to use his art as inspiration for quilts. I had to make one of his spotted horses.
This one called for a variety of techniques, piecing, foundation paper piecing, hand applique, machine applique, sweat and laughter. What fun.
The annual guild banquet and award ceremony was last night. There were about six prize categories plus two honorable mentions. "Horseplay" won the prize for "Most Effective Visual Impact" and I was purring! But then they announced the plum - the Viewer's Choice, and my dotty horse won that too, and I was over the top!
The Viewer's Choice award is sponsored by the Canadian Quilt Guild. Both prizes came with a cash award too. (Note: In Canada, a first ribbon is red, not the blue of the USA. Our guild uses green/pink for first place in this annual contest because it is called "The Prairie Rose" competition)
Making this spotted horse was a big challenge and I learned much, but it was also so much fun. I'm thankful for the opportunity to try it, and for the encouragement of the judge and my peers in taking home a couple of prizes.
First, I have this comfy chair in my sewing area. It folds out to almost a bed (which is a whole other temptation). I put a lamp on the table to the right, and a pole lamp on the left.
Then there is this small folding table that is low and light, but sturdy. I use it to select fabric, spread out patterns, etc. This went in front of the chair. That plastic drawer thingy peeking out at the right is my "hand sewing" box of tools. It has several spools of thread in it, but I had to go find some white to sew this facing on the back of the quilt.
The last photo is the quilt plopped on the table. Normally, I like 'neat' 'folded' etc. but that puts creases in a quilt and I didn't want any of those in this big wall hanging. So it was loosely arranged with the side to be worked on along the edge of the table facing the chair. I have a TV, but if the television programs stink (normally they do), there is my Bose CD/radio to the left. I found some calm music and had this facing stitched securely in no time. 