I recently joined the Modern Quilt Guild Facebook Group and last month fellow member posted a link to her blog
Ellison Lane Quilts where she is hosting a
Modern Mini Quilt Challenge. The challenge included several weeks of tutorials and inspiration from other quilters in the form of a blog hop. This introduced me to so many amazing quilters out there. The talent is just unbelievable and I must say I was intimidated, but the prizes are so amazing I had to at least give it a shot. The requirement was that the mini quilt could be no more than 24".
"Squares of Blue and Green"
17" x 17"
I decided to challenge myself with using only fabric from my stash and to not over plan the design. So I chose three Kona Solids that I had leftover from a Christmas quilt and two table runners and a cream background. I cut 7" blocks and stacked them 3 at a time and just started slashing. I had planned originally to mix up the blocks when I put them together, but once they were all done I realized I like them grouped by background color better. This mini quilt measures 17" square and represents a few firsts for me: first time entering a contest, first time exclusively using solids in a quilt, first time sewing little pocket hangers on the bag for easy hanging (I'll be doing this on all my wall hangings from now on thanks to the tutorial from Amy Gibson at
Stichery Dickory Dock.)
Here is a close up of the quilting I did. I used a long (4.5) stitch length and just echoed the lines of the blocks. The color in this picture is not as true as the photo above.
This was a fun, quick project and while my chances of winning are slim (take a look at some of these
entries) it was fun to stretch myself a bit.
I'm also participating in the
Craftsy Block of the Month, which is super fun and I'm trying to get more involved with my local guild. I'm doing a monthly friendship block exchange with them and that's been fun as well. I still don't get to sew as much as I'd like, but I'm discovering so much support and so many talented quilters out there that it keeps me going. I am just astonished at the number and quality of quilting blogs that are around now. I'm hoping to attend the Sewing Summit this year (if not, then next year for sure) to hone some of my skills and learn more about putting together a great quilting blog.
This is the largest one I made. I made it as a diaper bag for my sister Maggie. It is huge, but she says it is perfect for all the stuff she needs for her little guy. I added a bunch of additional pockets inside for bottles and sippys and stuff like that. Maggie recently visited and brought her bag along with her. I love seeing things I make being used. It makes the time and effort worth it.
This one was made for my dear cousin Jenny for Christmas. every year we draw names for a gift exchange with the cousins on my dad's side. This year I got Jenny. I gave her some options and she chose a bag. All she asked was that it be bright and happy. Pretty sure I accomplished that. This is a medium sized tote, but still has plenty of room inside.
This beauty was made for my dear friend Erin back in Hawaii. She loves blues and oranges together and when I saw this bird fabric I knew exactly who it was made for. The photo doesn't do the fabric justice. It is really beautiful. I have enough to make one for myself, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
