Quilt Show Challenge Blocks

This is a bit of a late post because I completed these blocks back in January, I think.  But since I'm behind in my blogging anyway, to heck with it.  I can post anything I want.  HA

My local traditional quilt guild has a quilt show every March.  We have the opportunity to purchase kits of fabric (usually 2 fabrics) for $2.00 and then we are to make a quilt block to be entered into the quilt block challenge.

This year I purchased 2 kits.  The background fabric was black and the other fabric was a multicolored.  You can add any other fabrics to the block that you want and you can make your block anything you want.  It can be any technique.

I chose paper piecing for both my blocks.  My son had gotten me the book A Flock of Feathered Stars by Carolyn Cullinan McCormick for Christmas and I used a pattern from there for one block.  I love this book and I intend to make every block in it.  I was thinking maybe in red and white.

My other block is a flying geese block and I made my own pattern because I couldn't find a paper pieced one that was the right size.  But that's ok because it turned out pretty good.

The ribbons are judged but I don't really understand their judging process.  Every single block gets a ribbon.  What is the point of that?  Who are you competing against?  No one?  Then at the next guild meeting, they divide the blocks into sacks and draw names to see who gets a stack of the blocks.  You have to participate in making the blocks to be entered in the drawing.  

Anywho, I also made a small quilt for our small quilt auction which raises money for the guild to use for speakers and workshops and such.  Of course, I paper pieced it :)
I used a pattern by Quiet Play which I purchased from Craftsy.  I don't have a finished picture on my computer but I'm sure there is one somewhere.  So I'll just show you what I have.

I can't find what I did with the dimensions but I think it's about 12 inches x 20 inches.  I quilted it with what I call fractured glass straight line quilting.  Just random lines across, diagonal, all over.  The back was the black Architextures print from Carolyn Freidlander and I just bound it with the same white Kona I used for the front.  It turned out super cute - in my opinion.
My friend Robyn bought it at the auction before anyone else got a chance.  Thanks Robyn!

Psychedelic Valentine - A Quilty Finish

My local Modern quilting group had a challenge for Valentine's.  I announced the challenge in November to give everyone plenty of time to have their projects completed by the February meeting, so of course, mine was not finished.  I think it still needed binding.

We could do anything we wanted for the challenge, it just needed to have a Valentine theme.  I chose to do a table runner because I love table runners and you can never have too many.  Right?  (haha)

I also chose to do paper piecing because I love it so and it's my "go to" technique.  I used Mini Love Quilt pattern from Sew Mama Sew which I've used before.  Instead of arranging the letters in a square, I just went straight down with them.  I made 2 rows and to finish the rows off, I paper pieced little hearts.  The heart pattern is from the book 365 Foundation Quilt Blocks by Linda Causee that I've mentioned before.  I added the black text fabric around the hearts until I had them the size that I wanted.

I used a charm pack of Moda Kiss Kiss for the letters.  For the parts of the letters that were to long for 5 inch charm pack blocks, I used solid Kona Cotton.  I didn't keep track of all the colors of Kona I used but as you can tell, it was shades of aqua, pink, and red.
The black and white chevron stripe fabric that I used as sashing between the rows is why I call this piece "Psychedelic Valentine".  The motion of the fabric hurts my eyes and it felt very psychedelic to me.  I think it is a fabric from one of the Moda Halloween lines.

 I quilted it on my new Juki TL2010Q.  I FMQ'd loopy lines in the letters with red thread - 50 wt. Auriful.

The psychedelic black sashing fabric has long squiggles quilted on them from top to bottom.  I used black thread, also 50 wt. Aurifil, to quilt it and you can't see it at all from the front.  Only from the back.  I didn't quilt anything in the black spaces or in the heart blocks.  I just felt like this was enough.

Speaking of the back, here it is!  I used my remaining charm squares to make the back of the runner and I used a large piece of this pink Dear John fabric that I've been hoarding.  You can see all the quilting so much better from the back.

 I used charm square scraps for my label and zig zagged it down with the black thread.  I love making labels this way.  It is from a tutorial by Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation.  I never forget my labels now.  They are just a part of the back of every quilt.
My binding is a red fabric with aqua dots that is a part of the Kiss Kiss line.

My Psychedelic Valentine measures 18 inches by 32 inches.

I hope you enjoyed my Valentine project and reading my blog.  Please come back to visit anytime!

**Linking up to My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday and to Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday

ALYOF Goal for April

Well, I didn't get my goal finished for February because of Quiltcon and all and then I missed March completely.
So, now here I am for April and I'm going to do it this time too!

 (**Crummy pics)

Ok, so my goal for April is to finish my first baby quilt that I wanted to finish in February.  I did get the quilting finished so all I need to do is trim it and bind it.  I don't know what I'll do with it when finished but I'll think of something.
I was actually thinking I might keep it so that I can see how far I've come from the very beginning.  I made this quilt before I knew what kind of quilter I was, what kind of fabric I liked, what kind of quilts I wanted to make.

So for April, I'm going to get this quilt finished 100%.

**Linking up with Fiber of All Sorts for ALYOF goal for April.