February 9, 2017

Colorado Cadence: BMQG Charity Quilt for QuiltCon 2017

I'd like to introduce Colorado Cadence . . . 
Boulder Modern Quilt Guild's charity challenge quilt for QuiltCon 2017

Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt, Springleaf Studios


The Boulder Modern Quilt Guild has made a QuiltCon charity quilt since the challenge first began in 2014. Making charity quilts has always been a large part of the BMQG's mission and I'm thrilled to say we have donated more than 50 quilts over the past three years. For a small guild, averaging around 24 members, I think that's pretty amazing!!!

Today I'd like to share the process we went through to bring Colorado Cadence to fruition.

When the color palette and theme were announced by TheMQG, we talked about possible directions we could use to depict the idea of scale and agreed upon the color palette we wanted to work with. We also chose to use mostly prints rather than working with solids as we have done in previous years. Using the prints allowed us to use scale at the micro level within the design which gave the final quilt even greater variety and depth.

As chairperson, I developed a few ideas to review at our the next meeting. One of those ideas came from our President, Cynthia, who had seen an article about Roberto Burle-Marx, a Brazilian landscape designer. The article included this wonderful mosaic. 

photo by Scott Zona shared via Flickr Creative Commons

At the review meeting, everyone agreed the mosaic offered wonderful opportunities for exploring the use of scale. The next step was to develop the design. Squares and circles, structured through the use of color blocking, was the basis of our concept. The super large areas of color provided an additional level of scale beyond that within each block. 

Boulder Modern Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt, Springleaf StudiosQuilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt, Springleaf Studios

I started with big blocks of color which provided the larger scale element of the quilt. Then things were broken down into 12" blocks and the basic design elements of squares and circles came into play.

Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt, Springleaf Studios

More and more details were added which provided texture and variety. And with each progressive refinement more and more movement and rhythm was introduced to the overall design.

Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt, Springleaf Studios

The layout was then broken into sections based on color and packets of fabric were pulled together that included a small amount of a solid plus a few prints. Participating members were asked to sign up for 2 or more blocks of a given color and to supplement with fabrics from their own stash. In this way we added even more variety to the quilt. Sewing assignments were designed to be flexible so those who wanted could add their own twist to their blocks. The main criteria was to stick with the color scheme and basic square and circle elements. This worked well for our group and we ended up with a little of both. Some made their blocks exactly as the diagram showed and others took liberties. 


Over a 2 month period, members worked at home and during our monthly sew days to make their blocks. As the blocks came in, I put them up on my design wall at home to keep tabs on the progress.

Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt
Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt



















All blocks were due in September. Then, during our October sew day, many people pitched in to sew the blocks together. By the end of the day we had not only a finished top but were well on our way to a finished backing made from the leftovers.

Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt


Our talented President, Cynthia, took everything home at the end of the day. She completed the backing and then worked her free-motion magic by quilting a variety of different motifs in the various sections of the quilt. We are so lucky to have her skills in the guild. She used her sit down Juki mid-arm machine. Look at all this wonderful texture . . . 




By early January it was ready for the finishing touches. Label. Sleeve. Binding.

The vast majority of our guild participated in one way or another. THANK YOU, THANK YOU quilters for all your time and talents. I am so proud of you and our quilt.  This picture shows many, but not all, of the quilters who helped.

Boulder Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon charity quilt


Seeing Colorado Cadence hanging in Savannah with the other charity challenge quilts will be amazing. Many of our members will get to see it in person. While I won't make it to QuiltCon this year, I can certainly vouch for how inspirational it is to see so many quilts, all sharing the same theme and colors, hanging together in one place. AMAZING!!!  And all for charity. Quilters truly are generous people.

The Boulder Modern Quilt Guild is based in Boulder County Colorado. If you live in the area or even if you're visiting, we'd love to have you join us. Evening meetings are the second Thursday of the month and sew days are the usually the third Sat or Sun of the month. We currently meet/sew in Louisville, CO.

Learn more about us by visiting our Facebook page or our website.
Follow us on Instagram too @bouldermqg.

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13 comments:

  1. What a fantastic piece. It was like the sun came out when that filled my screen. You look like a great group. If I could eventually remember at the right time, I ought to see about joining y'all sometimes. You are more or less local to me.

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  2. How fun! It's a gorgeous quilt and looks like you all had a great time creating it together.

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  3. Wow! What a gorgeous charity quilt! Thank you for sharing your inspiration and design process!

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  4. Anne, this is your design talent shining through once again. How you took that design inspiration and turned it into a concept, is remarkable in itself. And then, how the sub elements evolved make it truly a work of art. I'm terribly impressed. If there's a prize given among charity quilts, hands-down, your chapter's deserves to win. Oh how I wish we had a skilled designer like you in our chapter! So very well done, by all of you. I love it, and so will everyone who sees it a QC. Wish you were gonna be there!

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  5. I think Linda's comment (above) about says it all. You have such amazing skills not only with design but also with color. Thanks for introducing us to your guild's wonderful quilt.

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  6. I will definitely keep my eye out for this one while I am in Savannah. I love the collaborative effort that went into the design and creation and think your choice to work with prints added great depth the final quilt.

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  7. I concur with both Elizabeth and Linda- your design skills and feel for colour are first-class! What a stunning quilt you have all created! It must look very special in real life!

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  8. Gorgeous! Great Wow factor. Congratulations to your group!

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  9. Lovely quilt! Nice to see your process as you designed it.

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  10. I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great.
    Ryan Van Wagenen Philanthropy

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