Flight of Fancy

This is one of my quilts, I called it Flight of Fancy.

It's a gorgeous shot cotton, emerald green and red, so depending on how the quilt is rotated and how the light is hitting it --it looks either more green or more red, as you can see in the photos above.

This was my entry to my guild's challenge this year--for the past two years we've made which ever project we like (starting with about 1m of fabric, adding fabrics as you wish).  I wasn't sure what to make, and then saw Jamie Wallen's video on his Flying Geese Rulers.

Several of us went on a shop hop to Olds, a small town about an hour from Calgary that has 3 quilt shops!  ( I think Calgary has 4).  We had so much fun, and I had my eye out for a gorgeous piece of fabric, and when I found a shelf of shot cottons at one of the stores, then it was hard to pick--also hard because I didn't know who would be winning this project at the guild exchange, and some colors I knew I loved but maybe others wouldn't.

And by then, I had received my Quilters Apothecary rulers, and I set out to have some fun!

I used red threads, and green threads, and two different sizes of flying geese triangles.

 The center 'focus' if you will got some curlys in the center, and the remainder of the background was meandered. 

 The back is a black fabric, which shoes the thread color changes well.  I put hanging corners on 3 corners, so the quilt owner can decide which direction to hang it, or change it up.

 Two layers of batting really lets the quilting show.

 I'm not sure if it made a difference or not, but I matched the binding directions (so cut LOF for 2 bindings and WOF for 2 bindings). 

  Kerri got to take this quilt home with her,  and I got this fabulous Elephant and I pillow by Vicki.  I love it!

I have a plan for this years exchange now.  We're doing a Choose Your Own Adventure type project, with the goal of trying something new or a stretch (new technique, different color palette etc).  

Dorothy's Applique Quilt

I haven't met Dorothy, but her daughter is one of my clients, and she brought me this quilt to finish for her mother.

Isn't it lovely?  I hope I can do work like this when I'm Dorothy's age (who am I kidding?  I don't do hand work like this now LOL)

We decided on a simple continuous curve in the pieced blocks, and a large flower in the setting blocks.

 The applique was outlined (not ditched), which is a faster and thus less spendy treatment, and then echoed.  I think it turned out splendidly.    I did stitch around the center of each flower, as they are too large to leave unquilted.  Aren't those birds great? 

and I added the floral design from the setting squares in the negative space left between appliques at top and bottom center.

The photo of the back shows that there was no ditch stitching in the quilt--and the designs from the borders flowed into the setting squares, so not even between the body of the quilt and the border.  Not every quilt needs ditching.

Thanks Dorothy, for letting me play with your quilt.