Wonky Curves and a Win

I’ve been taking a break from making large quilts this year and instead have been working on smaller projects and embroideries.  I’m enjoying exploring more of my favourite techniques (improv piecing, curves and applique) and slowing things down with some hand stitching.

Towards the end of last year I taught my Embellishment evening class which involved making a wonky improv curve mini quilt then ’embellishing the hell out of it’.

As I like to stitch along with my students I made this little mini using all my favourite colours.

My chosen embellishment was with thread alone (rather than the beads, buttons and shisha mirrors that my students were encouraged to use). I used my current favourite hand quilting and embroidery thread Aurifil 12wt wool to heavily hand quilt this in a range of colours and I included a little extra texture with fly, cross and seed stitches too.

A few years back I sat next to Debra @madeofhonorquilts at a Chawne Kimber workshop at QuiltCon Savannah. Debra and I so enjoyed playing with fabric together that we stayed in touch and even planned a quilt collaboration. This hasn’t happened (yet!) but we also discussed a mini quilt swap for QuiltCon Nashville last year.

However I ran out of time (due to finishing up everything for my book) and asked Debra is we could postpone it. Of course Debra then showed up with a fabulous surprise mini for me that she had already made!

So at QuiltCon in Austin last month I was able to meet up with her again (in front of her incredible prize winning quilt) and hand her this little mini quilt to complete the swap!

 

As well as being a member of the Modern Quilt Guild I am also a member of the QGBI (Quilter’s Guild of the British Isles) Modern Quilt Group. Our Scottish Region (16) set a challenge for each of the specialist groups to make mini quilts to display on their stand at the Scottish Quilt Show in Glasgow, to show visitors the difference between the different groups.

The modern group were given a size (18″ x 24″) and a colour theme – blue and grey with one other colour. Well I have to admit this didn’t really appeal much at first as blue and grey are the colours I am least likely to choose! They are the colours of my school uniform and I think this has put me off forever.

However I felt if the blue could be leaning towards the turquoise end of the spectrum and the extra colour could be orange then maybe I could make something that would please me.

I used left overs from the wonky curve mini above alongside a quarter block from a recent Dandelion Clock Block workshop to create this little piece.

I then added the wonky circle needle-turn applique for a little added flavour.

It was quilted using Aurifil 40wt thread in this ‘random plaid’ grid (my new ‘go to’ modern quilting pattern for small quilts).

I’m really rather pleased with this little piece despite the challenging palette.

Yesterday I headed to the Scottish Quilt Show and saw it hanging on the stand beside some other fabulous mini quilts in the challenge. It would have been lovely if I’d thought to take a photo of them to show you wouldn’t it? However I was in quite a state by this time having just discovered this news…

I won FIRST PRIZE in the modern category for Dandelion Clock!!

This show does not notify you of a win in advance so it was only as I walked past it that I saw the ‘gold’ rosette! I’ve never actually won anything for a quilt before  so this is a huge thrill!

And it’s extra special as this is one of my favourite quilts ever and a QuiltCon reject.  I’ve been grumpy about the QuiltCon rejection for months, however I am now seeing this as a positive thing because if it had hung at QuiltCon I could not have entered it to the Scottish competition!

So all in all wonky curves have given me much pleasure recently!