PoP Challenge Quilt

My large quilt guild, Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild,  has a quilt show every two years.  The next one is March 10-11, 2018.  At our last meeting (last Thursday) we got the info for the Challenge quilts.  What a great challenge they came up with this time.

our challenge instructions

Since you can't really read the rules in that tiny picture, I'll type them out for you.  They are very creative!
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Pride of the Prairie 2018 Guild Challenge

Stretch yourself this year with our Paint Chip Challenge

Here are the rules:

Using the first 3 letters of your first name, pick out paint chips whose color name begins with one of those letters.

for example, if you are well known quilter, Bonnie Hunter, you might choose:

Best Friends            or      Blazing Orchid                or      Blueberry Hill

Of the Moment        or       One Spring Morning       or      October Air

New Beginnings      or       Natural Burlap                or      Nutshell

(see paint chip colors in above photo)

You may also add solid Black and/or solid White but the majority of the piece (at least 75%) must be your chosen paint chip colors.  In short, your quilt must contain 3 paint chip colors and the possible inclusion of black and/or white accent ONLY.  You may use solids, tone on tone and/or batik but the fabric must be recognizable as matching the paint chip color.  Fabric is not limited to cotton - could be wool, velvet, poly, rayon, etc. 

A full set of paint chips must accompany your completed entry - name of paint chip MUST be clearly printed on chip by manufacturer (see above examples).

Use at least 1 handwork technique on the quilt - hand quilting regular or big stitch, hand piecing, hand embroidery, beading by hand - or any other hand technique not involving a machine. *(Does NOT include stitching binding down by hand on the back of quilt).

The size of your Challenge quilt must be no smaller than 24" and no larger than 45" when measured in any direction.  It does not need to be square.  It could be a rectangle, parallelogram or even a circle.  As always, your Challenge must be quilted, have a binding or other finished edging, and have a label on the back.

Quilts are to be submitted in normal fashion as dictated by 2018 Quilt Show directions including entry form with photo and individual pillowcase.  Sleeve is not required.

Take a trip to your favorite paint or home improvement store and start playing with color!

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What fun!  

Hubby and I went to Home depot on Friday night, and grabbed TONS of paint chips (a stack about 2.5" tall) that started with either the letter C, H or E (for CHEryl).

just some of the paint chips we grabbed

Hubby even found one that fits my letters (C-H-E) on one paint chip.

Cosmic Quest, Hacienda Blue, English Daisy

I had Ladies Crafting at church on Saturday morning, and went thru my paint chips then.  I sorted them into letters (C-H-E), to see if anything caught my eye.  Yes, one chip, with the name of Elephant Skin, caught my attention.  I'd spent Wednesday and Thursday cleaning my sewing room, and had run across an elephant pattern (my mother collects elephants, so, I'm good at finding elephant items).  

Elephants made me think of the dry grass and the coppery gold colors in Africa.  I pulled all the colors that might work.

C's on left, H's in middle, E's on right

Ideas were forming!  On Sunday afternoon, I pulled out my pattern, and map pencils.  I came up with this.

my challenge design

The shape of the quilt will be the large elephant.  As long as it is at least 24" high, and less than 45" wide, it will work.  I still have to figure out a good way to make it stiffer than normal, since I don't want the trunk, tail and foot to 'droop' down.  I also don't want to put traditional binding on this, with all the curves.  

The 'grid' on the elephant is planned (not graph paper).  I plan to use several different fabrics, all the same colors, and cut them apart, and sew them back together as either 4 patch or 9 patch units, so that the quilt has more texture/interest, than just plain fabric.

I also have a few ideas for giving the elephant 'texture', too.  I'll try Texture Magic first.  Not sure how well it will do what I want till I try it.   

On Tuesday, Marilyn and I went to sew at Sewing, Etc, in Yorkville.  I knew Kelly (the owner) would have the fabrics I needed for this challenge.   I'd pulled some fabrics from my stash, but, wasn't pleased with the gray.   I had several paint chips to choose from, so, I started pulling fabric off the shelves, to match the paint chips.  These are what I ended up getting.

Curry Powder

Herb Cornucopia

Euro Gray

One of the Curry Powder fabrics and one of the Herb Cornucopia fabrics are from my stash.  I really wanted to use my stash for this challenge, but, knew that it would be hard to do. 

I'm waiting on Office Depot to enlarge my elephant drawing, so that I can really get started on this challenge.  I'm really excited about it!  You will be tired of this project long before it is done. 

Table Runner Tutorial

A friend asked me to make her a table runner.  This is what I came up with.  I still need to quilt and bind it.

Scrappy Midnight Pinwheel Table Runner

14' x 38"

longways

sideways

I saw this block, but, it was too small.  I also only wanted to use 3 colors, not 4.

6" block (too small for what I needed)

 I decided to redraft it to a larger block, and use it in my table runner design.

my design

Yes, I use graph paper to design all my projects.  It may not look as nice as EQ, but, it is MUCH cheaper, and it works for me.

I re-drew the placement diagram, since I was using scrap fabrics. (yes, I actually used some of my scraps, don't faint)!  I used 3 different maroons, 2 different greens and 2 different tans.

placement diagram

Cut:  (label the fabrics as you cut them, I used post it notes)

A - 11  2.5" squares (maroon #1)
B - 12  2.5" squares AND 6  3.5" squares (green #1) (label these separately)
C - 12  2.5" squares (tan #1)
D - 6    3.5" squares (maroon #2)
E - 24   2.5" squares (tan #1)
F - 12   2.5" squares (maroon #3)
G - 12  2.5" x 4.5" rectangles (green #2)
H - 10   2.5" x 10.5" rectangles (tan #2)

Sew:

1. Grab 6 (B) and 6 (D) 3.5" squares.  

On back of 6 (B) squares, draw a diagonal line, 1/4" from corner.  *I use a Quilters Rule.  Just line up the wholes in the middle, across the diagonal, and draw a line on either side.

Quilters Rule

draw a line on either side of Quilters Rule

lines drawn

If you don't have a Quilters Rule, you can line up your ruler, 1/4" inch past the points.

ruler method, line on points, draw 1/4" past line

Putting right sides together, stitch along both lines.  

stitch on both lines

 Cut between the stitched lines.

Iron open.  Trim down to 2.5" square (I used my Bloc Lock ruler).

trimmed and squared to 2.5"

Make 12 Half Square Triangles.



2. Grab 12 (G) 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 12 (B) and 12(C) 2.5" squares.

Draw a diagonal line, corner to corner, on the wrong side of the 2.5" squares (both (B) and (C).

Place (C) 2.5" square, right sides together, on the left corner of (G) 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle.

 Sew across all 12 corners.

Trim corners, 1/4" past seam.

Iron open.

Repeat with (B) squares, but, putting them on the right side.

angle your line correctly

 Trim and Iron open.

Make 12 Flying Geese units.


3.  Grab 1 (F), 2 (E) and 1 (D/B) HST unit.  Sew into 4 patch units.

Make 12 of these units.


4.  Lay out 4 patch units, Flying Geese units and 4 (A) 2.5" squares, following the pattern picture.

placement diagram

units placed, following diagram

Sew in rows.  Iron each row, following arrows.

iron following arrows

Make 3 units.  Units should measure 10.5" square.

finished unit

5.  Sew (H) 2.5" x 10.5" rectangles to 2 opposite sides of completed block.

Iron long strips away from block.

Makes 3 units.


6.  Sew (A) 2.5" square to either end of remaining (H) 2.5" x 10.5" rectangles.

Iron towards long strip.

 7.  Sew above units onto 2 opposite sides of the 3 completed blocks.

Make 2 units.


8.  Sew the 3 units together, with the partial unit in the middle.

9.  Baste, quilt and bind as preferred.

Finished table runner top.

I wrote the tutorial for my beginning quilting class.  I doubt most of you would need such simple instructions.  I hope you like the tutorial.

Hubby's project, and Dog update.

Hubby worked on a project while I was in Texas.  I left him a hand crank, set up, for him to use.  Hubby wanted to make an underquilt for his hammock. Hammocks are great when it is warm, but, when it gets to 60 degrees or colder, your underside gets chilly, even if you have a quilt on top of you. 

Hubby found some DIY video's & #2 on how to make these, and wanted to try one out for his hammock.  I really didn't want to work with the slippery materials, and told him he could do this himself. 

hammock underquilt around bottom of hammock

end of hammock underquilt around hammock

showing hammock inside of underquilt

Sorry, I took these pictures while hubby wasn't home, so, no demo of what it looks like with someone in the hammock.

Hubby also made himself a 'pocket' to go across the line that extends from the hammock racks.  He made it out of mesh screening.

hammock pockets

There are 3 pockets on one side, and 2 pockets on the other side.   If hubby had made it longer, he could have sewn across the bottom, and that 'new' pocket could have held a water bottle between the pockets.  That will be his next project.  This was just a learning project. 

I have been sewing this week.  I'm working on a couple of 'secret' projects, so, I can't show them (yet) since 2 of the recipients follow this blog.  I'll be able to show them in March, when they are done, and sent/received.  I did get some hand stitching done, while watching TV.  I finished another 'Be Attitudes' block, and started on another one.

5th block stitched

Update on dog!

Katie is doing much better.  She is on lots of medications, but, they seem to be working.  She even watched 'Katie TV' this morning (sitting at the patio door, and looking for squirrels and rabbits).  We are still waiting for some test results, to let us know the 'rating' of her pancreatitis. 

Katie this morning

Katie is sleeping less, and active more each day.  Thanks for all the well wishes. 

Well, it's time to get some stitching done on those 'secret projects'.  I also have a baby quilt to make, using the pattern from 'I Love Precut Quilts' that I made.  She wants pastels, and, I don't use pastels.  I did find most of what she wanted (lights, but, not pastels) in my stash.  Now to cut them out, and start sewing them.