Teeny Tiny Quilt

The regional SAQA group that I belong to is sponsoring a swap.  We needed to make a 4 inch by 6 inch postcard size quilt, send a photo to our leader Deb, she shuffles the photos and then lets us know who to send the quilt to. 

Well.  4 inches by 6 inches.  Smaller is not necessarily easier!!!  The theme was "What did you do this summer" - which added even more of a challenge.  Then I thought about the heat this summer and that I had more or less sizzled and fried for the past several months.

So here is my little tiny quilt.  Same process as the larger Alyssa quilt.  I think it is actually pretty neat for a tiny project - and think that I will make a bunch of them in different colors.....

Now I just have to think of a name for this little gal - maybe Hot Stuff.....

It is fun to have a challenge that really stretches your brain in new directions.   I can't wait to see which little masterpiece I get in exchange for this.  barbara

Flying Fish

The large quilt guild that I belong to (Hill 'n Hollow in Mountain Home) is sponsoring a Challenge.  We received two pieces of fabric and will be sharing our creations in September.  The  challenge involves using the two pieces of fabric and the theme Four Seasons. This is my quilt.  It is called "Flying Fish".  The words under the pond are "Can Fly Fishing Catch Flying Fish?"  Obviously NOT relevant to the Four Seasons Theme - but the original theme was Flight of Fantasy and I got this idea the minute that I heard THAT theme.  Oh well.....

But let me tell you about the quilt.  All of the fish are made from the first fabric in the challenge.  Even though they look different, they are just different areas of that gorgeous fabric.  The tree tops are the second fabric.  The rest of the fabric was from my stash.

You know how they always say that mistakes or problems are often the doorway to a greater finished project?  And an opportunity to "learn"?  Well this quilt almost ended up in the dust bin (can you tell I am reading an English novel lately?) several times because it wasn't turning out the way I wanted.  The fish didn't start out as fish at all.  They were supposed to be dirigibles.  But they looked stupid.  So I almost gave up..... but several friends encouraged me to continue.  And this whimsical quilt is the result.

It is HEAVILY beaded and this detail shot shows some of the dazzling bits that I added.  I really enjoyed it and am very pleased with the overall result.        barbara

October 14 - Excellent News!!  We had the Challenge Contest  and I won Honorable Mention!  I am just tickled!!

Here There and Everywhere

So what have I been doing since my last post on JULY 3??  Obviously not posting to the blog.  So sorry about that....  BUT I have been doing a lot of quilting related things.  Several of my quilts are going to be on display in various places.  Here are the details:

This quilt is called "Dorothy".  A very special new friend of mine saw this quilt for the first time last summer and declared that it was a portrait of her.  So I recently gave it to her.  It seemed that her house was the right place for it to live.  But anyway - she has entered the quilt (under my name) in the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair.  I am excited - I have never entered a quilt in a state fair.  I expect it will be a bit different than the other quilts that are entered.  It should be interesting to hear what the response is.

October 8 - I just found out that I got some sort of Blue Ribbon at the State Fair.  No idea what that means but I think it is wonderful.... and I won $4.14.  WhooHoo!!  

This is "Child Pondering the Future".  The next one is "Night Sky".  Both of these will be on display at the Fall 2012 Art Exhibit presented by the Desoto Arts Council in Hernando, Mississippi from September 9 till November 1.

I am a member of Studio Art Quilts Association (SAQA) and our regional group is being enthusiastically led by our new leader Deb Kuster who is finding places for us to exhibit our quilts and other activities to take part in.  This exhibit possibility became available because of my SAQA membership.

I am pleased to have these quilts "out there" in the world instead of in my garage.  I love both of them and think that they will be very different than any other quilts that are in the group. 
The child quilt uses my older approach to portraits and the sky quilt is something I did several years ago.  Both involve layering, fusing and painting.  But in completely different ways.

A little snapshot of my past Quilting Adventures!

barbara