Sizzix Quilt Challenge!

My friend Victoria Findlay Wolfe has a little challenge going on . . . 

Have you heard???

She has designed some die cuts for the Sizzix Die Cutting System.

Here are the details.

 I didn't have the cutting system, so V graciously said,

"Come on over and cut some fabric after the guild meeting."

Hehe, you don't have to ask me twice!

I grabbed a bunch of florals in warms and cool colors.

I cut up a whole top in about an hour . . . 

Using her melon wedding ring pattern.

ONE HOUR!

 I was hooked. 

I bought the system a few days later.

Here it is on my counter so I have good leverage.

Since I really had no plan at first,

(I just cut warms for the melons and cools for the centers)

I just kind of winged it on the design wall.

A huge floral mess.

Took it down and moved things around.

I had only cut two or four of each fabric in the melon shape.

It's okay.  But not completely loving it.

This is about the day when I ordered the whole system,

and had to wait for it to arrive to cut more fabric.

(Impatient red head!)

Once it showed up, I cut more melons in red.

Fooled around with the corners.

Moved the lightest star to the center,

but that's not working either.

Moved it back.

That pink in the center is not the right color.

So I put in a darker shade of pink.

And voila!

Now this I love.

I have found recently that I really need to leave my stuff

up on the wall and play around with it for a while

before putting it all together.

(Sorry for the crappy photos, no good light inside!)

And here is the construction.

Sew the rows together and then sew the serpentine rows together.

Easy Peasy.

So are you going to make a quilt for the challenge?

Lot's of fun prizes, 

but really it's just a great challenge!

And I have an idea for a second quilt.

Stay tuned!

National Quilting Day!

Today is National Quilting Day!

So my guild, NYC Metro Mod Quilters,

partnered with Christie's Quilting Boutique to have a day of sewing!

The lovely Kate Spain dropped in to show us how she 

approches the design of a new line of fabric.

It was so interesting to here how she moves from photos and drawings,

to colors and repeats, 

and finally to a finished product.

And then to the quilt!!!

Kate's Horizon line started with block printing,

and she showed us some of her practice samples.

Then we got to see a parade of fabulous quilts!

This one she took right off her bed!

This is one of the first quilts she ever made.

Her Central Park Quilt.

This is a particular favorite!

I think I need to make a word quilt.

And I love the back of it too!

Kate is so warm and down to earth.

It was such a pleasure to hear her talk about her passion 

for design and color.  

We were so lucky to get to see all of her eye candy!

Thanks Kate!

Then we settled down to some sewing.

Judy and I realized we had made the same

little notions pouch.  

So funny to see the same pattern and we both did it so differently!

The mods took over this corner of the room,

The light was much better for our rather mature eyes.  Hehe.

Judy & I worked on putting together this group community quilt top.

Margaret worked on this beauty.

Jody worked on an arrow baby quilt.

Love the graphic feel of this.

Mayann finished quilting this baby

and was able to square it it.

And I tried out some of these January Blocks.

I like them, except I have to cut the pieces out by hand.

Here is the group photo before we all headed out.

Very fun day!

Thanks to Christie's Quilting Boutique for all the fun

swag bags and prizes!

Always fun when quilters get together!

My Double Wedding Ring . . . .

This is a quilt I didn't think I would EVER make.

Wasn't ever a fan of the pattern, thought it was too

"Old-Fashioned"

Haha.  Boy was I wrong.

After Victoria's DWR  win at Quiltcon 2 years ago,

and then her DWR Challenge, I got the bug.

I made this single ring for the challenge.

I only did a single ring because I was a judge and couldn't win,

so I was a slacker. Haha.

And I still wasn't sold on this pattern.

Then I saw so many wonderful DWR quilts coming out of

Victoria's inspiration, I decided to give it a whirl

I had been hoarding Kaffe Fassett stripes and plaids for a while.

Couldn't cut them up.  Haha.

Then I found some rich peppered cotton solids 

and started a "Plan" so to speak.

Actually I just started cutting everything up.

No counting how many I need of this or that.

Sound familiar? 

Put it away for a while, dragged it back out and cut some more.

Then I started sewing the melons together.  Still no real plan.

I didn't even lay it all out first, 

just made each melon as I liked them.

I started with all the deep blues, purples and greens on one side,

and worked my way across the design wall.

More sewing and slapping up.

But I had all these bright yellows, pinks and greens too.

I put them on the end.

This pattern does take awhile to put together.

Patience is the word!

I sewed all the melons first.

It was coming together.

I liked it but . . . .  Didn't love it.

So off the wall it went for a while.

I had other quilts calling my name.

Then when Victoria's book came out.

It is such a great book!  You have to get it!

Inspiration re-fired!

I had most of the  pieces cut and put together,

so I played around with the layout.

I wanted it scrappy, and it surely is!

I added in a few other Kaffe prints 

where I had run out of what I was using.

I sewed the rings into rows,

and slowly put the rows together.

Because everything was overlapping on my design wall,

I had no idea how big this was going to be!

Below is on a third of it!

It was a slow sewing process 

and I tend to pin the hell out of everything

curvy!  But that's just me.  

It was definitely worth taking my time on.

See here, I sewed the it together wrong!

Jack the Ripper makes an appearance.

It's not perfect, there are some puckers and tucks.

I'm hoping the quilting will take that out.

I am so pleased with this top.

I am also pleased that I tried something

I didn't think I ever would.

Good lesson don't you think?

What are you afraid of?

Or not interested in?

Take a chance, you might be inspired.