Shapely Challenge Revealed

The big Reveal finally arrived today at Pine Belt Quilters. My "Shapes On The Green" tied for first place and then came in second in the runoff. There were 20 awesome quilts--a real treat for all to see. They are pictured on the guild's website under the Guild Activities/Shapely Challenge tab.

Shapes On The Green 

The year-long challenge was to make 20 twelve-inch blocks using required shapes (four blocks every two months), using five fat quarters for beginning fabrics and adding any other fabrics desired, as well as setting as we chose. The variety displayed in these finished quilts showed a lot of creativity in our guild. It makes us know we will have a beautiful quilt show this October! Although I generally make art quilts, this returning to pattern drafting and selecting fabrics for blocks was surprisingly satisfying. Adding the scalloped edge and hand-sewing the bias binding were good reminders of skills I had developed over the years. The quilt is 81" x 89."
Here are the 20 blocks in rows. Row 5 is on top, then Rows 1, 2, 3, and 4. Row 1 shapes were only squares. Row 2 shapes were squares and half-square triangles (HSTs). Row 3 shapes were squares, HSTs and rectangles. Row 4 shapes were squares,HSTs and tri-recs. Row 5 shapes were squares and concave/convex (as in Drunkard's Path).

I added a 1-1/2" border to each block.

Before scalloped edge

Detail of quilting

Detail of quilting

Quilting the Shapely Challenge--With Help

My Shapely Challenge quilt is all assembled, bordered, layered and basted. Now for the quilting. This step really had me stumped. It turned out about 85" x 95" and I wondered IF I could handle the quilting myself and if so, HOW to quilt it. I have a Sweet Sixteen machine, but still worried about actually doing it. After much thought I realized that all the planning wasn't going to get the job done and I just needed to get started. Elizabeth is my constant companion and loves to curl up on whatever I am working on. Since it is important not to have anything restricting the movement of the quilt or dragging on the quilt, I kept moving her. When I would leave the quilt and come back, she was in another "more comfy" place.

Rah-Rah thought Elizabeth might be getting too much attention, so she joined her and got as close as she could.

After I was through she finally got to get under the machine head--where I wouldn't let her be while I was quilting.

Now for the binding. The reveal is at Pine Belt Quilters' March 9 meeting; I will post a full picture then.

Starting a New Year

New beginnings are always exciting. But I'm starting this new year by completing something from last year. And that gives a good feeling of accomplishment, too. My guild, Pine Belt Quilters, has had a "Shapely Challenge" in progress since March of 2015, with five steps given semi-monthly through November. We have until March 2016 for the reveal of our finished quilts. We drew for five fat quarters and could add anything else to make the twenty 12-inch blocks using specified shapes for the five steps (squares, half-square triangles, Drunkard's Path, etc.). I loved the fat quarters I drew:

These suggested to me that deep rose and various shades of green would guide the rest of my choices. After all, red and green are compliments.I selected several deep rose fabrics:

Here are some of the greens I used:

Of course, some neutrals to allow the roses and greens to be the main characters:

I had one yard of green E. E. Schenck Diawabo called Elite Gelato which I thought just right for setting the squares. Luckily, I found an Etsy source to buy more and discovered a neat blogger I will enjoy following, Tierney Hogan:

 Here are my groups of fabrics on the green background:

Choosing patterns for the five steps using specified shapes was like Quilting 101, and even though I have mainly transitioned to making art quilts, the challenge was interesting and nostalgic, and drafting and cutting templates was good to sharpen skills I learned many years ago. But the most fun was working with the colors and balancing them four blocks at a time.


I'm eager to post the blocks and the setting I have chosen--but since we are not to reveal our work for two months, I will wait.

Our "Shapely" Challenge

Our Pine Belt Quilters guild enjoyed the Round Robin Challenge that Dianne McLendon organized for us last year, with very interesting quilts resulting. I called it a "selfish" round robin because we kept our own piece from start to finish. You can see the finished pieces here along with the assigned fabrics and rules.

She has organized another challenge for 2015-16, called a "Shapely" Challenge. We paid $10 and received a packet of five fat quarters, which have to show up somewhere in the finished quilt. No two packets were alike. We can add any other fabrics we choose. Every other month we will be assigned a shape and will make four different 12" blocks using only this shape. The first shape is a SQUARE--think of a nine-patch made up of nine 4" squares. Some other possibilities are sixteen 3" squares, four 6" squares, thirty-six 2" squares, or a whole block of 1" squares! We will be assigned a shape (sometimes more than one shape) in March, May, July, September, and November, and then have four months to complete our project, to be revealed in March 2016. This activity offers a different set of challenges in that we can plan our color palette from the beginning and also know we will always be making 12" blocks. Every time we approach a quilt from a different standpoint, it can be a learning and growing opportunity.

Here is my starting packet--at a glance I see that I have mediums and lights so will have to be sure to add some darks and background solids. I love these fabrics--rose, coral, lime green, butterscotch!

My starting packet of fabrics

Round Robin Challenge

My guild, Pine Belt Quilters, had a year-long challenge led by Dianne McLendon ending at the February 18, 2015, meeting with the reveal of the finished quilts. Every two months we were given one or two 6" strips (width of fabric) with a size instruction. I called it a "Selfish Round Robin," because we each did all the work on our own piece rather than passing it around. I did not have mine finished by the reveal deadline, but I blame carpal tunnel and knee replacement surgeries. The instructions for the rounds were:
Round 1: 18" x 24"
Round 2: 4"
Round 3: 3"
Round 4: 3"
Round 5: 6"
Round 6: 8"   making the finished quilts approximately 64" x 70".
Dianne's and the 12 finished quilts are shown under Guild Activities/Round Robin Challenge tab on the guild's website. The fabrics and instructions are listed after the quilt pictures. Susie Jackson, Ellen Cox, and Debbie Davis won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd viewers' choice awards. All 13 quilts were amazingly creative and different. The participants agreed that designing these pieces really caused them to stretch and grow.
Here is my quilt pictured after quilting; next is with the black binding.

before binding

With black binding

Decisions for Round 6

Decisions for Round 6

I had lots of help at every stage. If Tarbaby wasn't in my lap, he was on the quilt.