Silk Quilt Progress and Show Update

Before I show any of what I have been working on, let me remind you all that the license plate blog tour for the new American Made solids by Clothworks started last week.  I posted about this a couple weeks ago. My state license plate will be up next week, as will a great fabric bundle giveaway which each of us (that's right - 50 people!) will be able to give to one of our readers.  Be sure to check back on June 3rd to learn more.

So here I am...3-1/2 more weeks until I have 3 kids home for the summer.  My hours of quilting each day will promptly come to a halt.  I will get a little done in the wee-hours of the morning, and on some days when things are quiet, but mostly the quilting will need to be kept simpler and faster.  Last summer I didn't take very many custom quilts.  This approach seemed to work pretty well, if you don't consider the immense financial hit that results!  If you have edge-to-edge quilts you have been waiting to get quilted, this is the perfect time to get in touch with me.  I'd love to hear from you!  I will continue to take the customs, but depending on the size, they will be quilted in order of when they are received, starting about late August.

Last month, I started on a silk wholecloth for myself.  It is about 54" square.  I designed the basis of the quilt over many months, then transferred it to ivory silk Radiance in early April.  I am quilting in colored silk thread.  It is back on the frame for a few days, but I am quickly becoming bored, as it is tedious work, and absolutely everything shows on it!  What I really need is a good dose of piecing...sigh!

I know it will be pretty when it is finished.  It is just at that point mid-project where I see many issues, and I have some other areas that I just haven't the foggiest what to do with.  Another day of stitching, and I will probably have this out of my system, and I will move onto something else.

 

This quilt has some fills that I have eyed and dreamed about using, but hadn't done so to date.  I love the sashiko-style fillwork, but boy is it slow!  It's much prettier (above) when the blue marking pen is removed too.  The thing on the next picture is a bobbin (0.75" diameter), so you have some idea how tiny that section of pebbles and swirls is.

This is a very traditionally-styled whole-cloth design, with a classic 1/8th repeat, and lots of feathers.  I drafted a design that was a 45 degree wedge, and then copied it 7 more times.  OK, in actuality, it took way longer than that, because each wedge is comprised of many sections, but it is symmetric, whereas some wholecloth quilts are less so. ...Not sure why this picture won't center, but Blogger can be a bugger sometimes.

This will be one of next year's show quilts, hopefully.  I have only made one other wholecloth prior to this one, but never really finished that one.  It sits w/o its binding to this day.  I kind of got bored with that process.  My ADHD brain needs the complexity and variation that piecing and applique bring to the projects.

Quick show update...I had three quilts at HMQS early this month.  It is in Salt Lake City, and had an amazing amount of strong talent this year.  The Geisha's Garden took a 3rd, while Rainbow Nouveau which is soon to be retired got an honorable mention and <> Big Bertha brought home a nice big 1st place!  Bertha has more than earned her keep.  She's taken so many awards that I have been able to forget what a complete pain that 106 scalloped edge was to do!!  I also have 2 quilts that were at the NQA show last week in Columbus, OH.  This is a non-paying show, but because it is hosted by the NQA, I like to enter it.  It is a given that we will get good worthwhile feedback from the judges.  Plus, the ribbons are really cool, complete with bumblebee pin! Anyhow, Shenandoah Falling earned a 2nd and judge's choice while Zen Garden brought home a 1st.  Shenandoah may have raised eye-brows in the modern category at MQX, but it seems to be getting a very nice response elsewhere.  I have quilts to get sent out soon that will be at 3 shows in June.

Don't forget to tune back in later this week, or by June 3rd to learn about the giveaway of solids!