October 29, 2014

QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge

Can you guess what this pile of scraps is for? Yep. The QuiltCon 2015 Charity Quilt Challenge.



I designed the quilt our Boulder Modern Quilt Guild is making and must admit when I first saw the colors I was both sceptical and a little uninspired. Working with this palette was a challenge . . .  a good challenge, but still a challenge. I guess that's why it's called a challenge project right?  However once a few ideas started coming together, the colors also fell into place. Turns out most of the guild felt the same about the colors. Many said they weren't ones they would have put together and yet everyone ended up liking how they were working in our quilt. My least favorite . . . the burnt orange.



In contrast to the color challenge, I found designing with an alternative grid to be lots of fun. While many of my quilt designs are block based, I still look for creative ways to use the blocks and love exploring all the possibilities. Playing with blocks and alternative grid ideas while designing this quilt was no exception. I think the design works quite well and creates a lot of movement, especially with the addition of the partial blocks.



The next challenging part came with the construction. It's a paper pieced design which I always find a challenge. Really, what was I thinking? Definitely not my favorite type of sewing. No matter how hard I try, I always make a few mistakes. The fabric doesn't cover the entire area. I forget to trim the seam allowance before adding the next piece. I sew on the wrong line. You get the picture. And ripping out those teeny, tiny, itty, bitty stitches is a b___!  Everyone, including me, struggled at times. Let's just say seam rippers were in high demand.   : (

But thanks to the help of our fantastic members, we not only persevered, we conquered!   : )   This past weekend we whipped out ALL the blocks. Let me say that again . . . ALL 36 paper pieced blocks. DONE. Way to sew ladies! I was very impressed that everyone hung in there. No one even came after me with a rotary cutter for designing a paper pieced quilt. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Here's how it looked by the end of the day. I'm loving how the blocks and colors are working.



We'll be assembling the top at the next sew day in November and that should be a breeze after all the paper piecing. Yea! Then it's basting, quilting and binding. I think we'll be in good shape to have it all done in time to meet the challenge deadline.

Stay tuned here at SpringLeaf Studios and on our Boulder Modern Quilt Guild blog as I post about our ongoing progress.

I'm also curious . . . are you part of the QuiltCon 2015 Charity Quilt Challenge? If so, what has been the most challenging part for you and your guild?

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. This is a big WIP for our guild. 
I'm also linking up with Sew Solid Sunday at Esch House Quilts. I don't always have a solid quilt to link up, but this one fits the bill. Check out the links to see what others are doing with all solids.

22 comments:

  1. Very nice. I like the colors. It's funny....the burnt orange is actually my favorite! I think the bright yellow would have thrown me. But the pattern works well and it looks super.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely, have fun with your quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome design and I confess I love the orange too. Our guild is making a sampler, with alot of us contributing blocks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm participating in the challenge as an individual member, so eight of us across many miles are working on a quilt. My contribution of four blocks has been mailed off to the one piecing the top. Love your design!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful design, Anne. The thin pinwheel "blades" give the quilt movement--they remind me of wind turbines. The white triangles, all aligned in one direction, give it velocity.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ARGH! I commented above, but it keeps telling me my google address cannot be verified. Sharon Diehl

    "Beautiful design, Anne. The thin pinwheel "blades" give the quilt movement--they remind me of wind turbines. The white triangles, all aligned in one direction, give it velocity."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nicely done! I personally like a paper pieced block. I'm with the Chicago MQG, and I think our biggest challenge will be when we assemble all the individually made blocks, since I'm sure they won't all be the same size! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your guild quilt is truly inspiring!!! Thanks for sharing the process!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Didn't do this challenge quilt (did the Michael Miller and was hating life on some of that construction!) but after seeing your amazing quilt design and how the group pulled together and pulled it off, I'm totally impressed! As usually, your designs are so well-balanced and interesting, keeping my eye moving around the quilt. I love it! Hope you guys take the Big Cake!

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would have groaned at doing the paper piecing, but I do like the results. The most appealing design feature to me is the "stranded" white "blades." Second is the variation in size both of block and of blade.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a cool design! Love the bright colors against the gray!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great quilt, Anne! I'm not a fan of paper-piecing either so I sympathize :) Thanks so much for linking up with Sew Solid Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love this quilt and I am so looking forward to seeing it when completed. Lovely, beautiful pattern and quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow. Anne, this is Stephanie from MCM bee. (didn't know if you'd recognize "mama pea." This is amazing! I'm so impressed with your design skills. Wow! Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete

WaHoo!!! You're leaving me a comment. Thanks for stopping by and do come back again. Quilt on, Anne.