Nos. 1 and 2

The Improvistations workshop doubled the number of quilt tops. With only one finished quilt, I am setting my sights on making and finishing quilts. Like with the strip-pieced ribbons, a steady diet of studio time would help make that so.

I've finished quilt number two. Actually quiltlet - O' Pear! is 10.5"w x 8.625"h. Started B.N.C. (before Nancy Crow), the pear and its shadow are from a pattern in the Art Quilt Workbook. They are fused on a background with one pieced seam.

Here it is before quilting, most of which was done on a road trip last year. My first hand quilted project and may be only. Won't discount it for future projects, but expediency is more important for now.

My local guild is putting up a show at the Lakeview branch of the Oakland Library in June. That was the impetus for finishing this since the show will be curated but not juried.

Here's quilt no. 1. Inspired by Jeanne Williamson's The Uncommon Quilter, this was the journal quilt for January 2008. Then I got stuck on February's and the series never went further.

Two down. Many more to go.

What's going on

I joined a minigroup of quilters through the local quilt guild, EBHQ. With a wide range of experience, the challenge would be keeping the more experienced ones interested. We agreed to at least start by working through The Art Quilt Workbook by Jane Davila and Elin Waterson. Not in sequence though.

Started with the chapter on piecing. Here's my four-leaf sampler from Piecing Workshop by Ruth McDowell.
And a nine-patch using double cutting methods from Quilting Outside the Box by Sandi Cummings with a free-pieced center block.






I can't see making wall hangings out of either of these samplers. They will morph into throw pillow covers. At least they'd provide an opportunity for machine quilting. Maybe even FMQ.

Our second chapter was on collage. Due to life, I have nothing to show for this.

Third, working with photos. This from the pear pattern provided in the book.
A more complicated piece based one of my photos.

They're small, so-o-o hand quilting? No border either, just a binding.