To address a couple of emails (and to appease my far flung family) I am posting more details of the two quilts I entered into the Sauder Village 2011 Quilt Show in Archbold, Ohio...then I promise, off to other things in the next post!! This quilt was just too big to get a good picture of it the way it was hung at the show, but here are more pictures of "Wickedly Liberated," about 93 inches square. The space was cramped and it was hung a little crooked (downhill!), but it was my best opportunity for pictures. This quilt was never supposed to get this big, and there's no way to photograph it in my house and get all of it in the frame.
I did a liberated lady block swap with 16 of my closest quilting friends. Mary J made witches for some of her blocks, and I was lucky to get one in my set. With a 13-yr-old daughter who is ga-ga over the musical "Wicked" and the movie "The Wizard of Oz," I knew I had to come up with a quilt putting all that together, with the witch in the middle of it all. This represented my first attempt at Tonya's free pieced letters (Lazy Gal Quilting)...they are so much fun to make!
Each person in the swap made 17 ladies, then we swapped. I received some additional ladies and decided to make the liberated doggies...the quilt just got bigger and bigger. I decided it needed a house that had fallen on a witch. I had a tub of small-scale bright florals that I decided to use because Oz had such pretty flowers in the movie (I even had some poppies!).
Marilyn Lange of Ypsilanti, Michigan (who also participated in the swap) machine quilted it for me. I love how she quilted "bow wow" next to the dog shown below. Using a Pigma pen, I wrote the name of every person next to the legs of their offered block so I could always remember their beloved contribution. I sew with some fantastic women, and it is nice to have a quilt containing their blocks.
Even though I wanted it to appear random, I worked in five rows, using fabric and free pieced trees to fill needed spaces. All the lady blocks were different sizes. Everything came out of my stash except for the background used in the word border (and the backing).
I entered this quilt because it was original, fun and different...I never dreamed I would receive a second place ribbon in the Bed Quilts: Large Pieced-Machine Quilted category.
"All Around the Town' (pattern by Sue Garmon) was hung on point, but I tried to get some "square" pictures...it wasn't easy! (made me dizzy!)
After all that effort to get this sucker absolutely flat and perfectly square, the Sauder folks hung it on point, so it looked a little tortured. LOL!! I guess that is good for my perfectionism and teaches me not to take things too seriously! It is a light-hearted quilt, after all.
I'm not sure the redneck block played very well to a northwest Ohio crowd. I'm not sure they "got" the vehicle up on blocks and the bra, boxers, and overalls on the clothesline. My folks down south would get it...they'd think it was a hoot!
It was fun lurking near my quilt and watching people discover various things...especially the ones trying to read the skinny border where I quilted, in order, every street, town and state I've ever lived.
I was surprised and delighted to receive the Best of Show Wall Hanging award for this quilt. It was fun to make and allowed me to let my hair down and have fun. Now to sew on four sleeves and get it on the wall (I intend to rotate it from time to time, revealing a new "up" each time.
Now I promise, on to other quilts and projects...
In stitches,
Teresa :o)
